Florida residents will soon find a significant change in their online access to adult content as a new age verification law comes into effect starting January 1, 2025.
The state of Florida is set to ban access to a widely used adult website, Pornhub, beginning in the new year. This decision aligns with a new state law mandating age verification for individuals over 18 who seek to access adult sites.
Effective January 1, 2025, the legislation, known as the Online Protection for Minors (HB3), requires users to demonstrate that they are 18 or older by presenting a government ID, such as a driver’s license, each time they wish to access adult content.
Pornhub, in response, will restrict access to residents within the state. Florida’s law stipulates substantial penalties for non-compliance, including fines up to $50,000 per violation.
Earlier legislative actions reflect a focus on regulating children’s interactions with digital content. In March, Governor Ron DeSantis enacted a law that controls minors’ use of social media, ensuring that children under 14 cannot have social media accounts and those aged 14 or 15 require parental consent. This legislation extends to adult content, emphasizing protection for minors by enforcing strict age-verification procedures.
Despite supporting the objective of safeguarding children, Pornhub raised concerns about privacy risks, noting, “We don’t want minors accessing our site and think preventing that from happening is a good thing. But putting everybody’s privacy at risk won’t achieve that.”
As this development unfolds, Florida mirrors the actions of other states. Earlier in March 2024, Pornhub began blocking access to users in Texas, similarly responding to legislative actions aimed at protecting minors online.
The implementation of Florida’s age verification law marks a significant step in the state’s efforts to regulate digital content access and protect minors. As the new year approaches, Florida residents will need to adapt to these changes in how they access adult websites.
Source: News4jax
