The state of Florida is suing some of the biggest porn platforms on the internet, accusing them of not complying with the state’s law that requires adult sites to verify that visitors are over the age of 18.
The lawsuit, brought by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, is against the companies that own popular porn platforms including XVideos, XNXX, Bang Bros and Girls Gone Wild, and the adult advertising network TrafficFactory.com. Several of these platforms are owned by companies that are based outside of the U.S.
Uthmeier alleges that the companies are violating both HB3 and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
On January 1, Florida joined 19 other states that require adult websites to verify users’ ages. Twenty-nine states currently have nearly identical legislation enacted for porn sites, or have bills pending. Age verification legislation has failed in eight other states.
“Multiple porn companies are flagrantly breaking Florida’s age verification law by exposing children to harmful, explicit content. As a father of young children, and as Attorney General, this is completely unacceptable,” Uthmeier said in a press release about the lawsuit. “We are taking legal action against these online pornographers who are willfully preying on
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Florida is suing several major adult websites like XVideos and Bang Bros for not following a new law that requires them to verify users are over 18 before showing explicit content. The goal is to protect children from seeing harmful material online. But there are legal concerns about whether this law goes too far.
Under the First Amendment, adults have the right to access legal adult content. If a law makes that harder—like by requiring people to upload ID—it could violate free speech rights and discourage lawful use. It also raises privacy risks, since personal data could be misused or leaked.
Another issue is enforcement. Many of these companies are based outside the U.S., so Florida may not have the legal power to make them comply. And regulating companies across state or national borders could violate rules about interstate commerce.
Critics say there’s a better way: use tools that already exist. Parents can set up filters and controls on their devices to block adult content for kids if there are no children in the home, there could be an option for adults to override the block—like a one-time login with a cookie and agreement confirming that no minors have access to that computer. This would protect children without restricting adult rights or creating unnecessary surveillance.
In short, while protecting kids is important, laws like this need to be carefully written so they don’t violate constitutional rights or ignore existing tech solutions that already empower families. This is touch and go so to speak.
I worry that too much objection to the age verification law will force the state(s) into just changing the what constitutes obscenity.
Look what shutting down BackPage forced Craigslist to do.
And yet… every day on the Facebook and the Tick Tack and such, more people are trafficked in one day than the entire lifetime of BackPage or Craigslist personals combined.
I do not know if kids accessing porn is an epidemic, but hey, maybe start charging their parents with sex crimes and see if that reduces the problem.
Parents cannot legally display porn to their kids, and giving your crotch goblin a smart phone, a locking bedroom door and privacy is like showing them porn via neglect.
Why does not this father and Atty Gen not know how to block websites on his children’s phones and computers? It is more his responsibility on what his children can or cannot see. He has the capacity to limit access on his purchased phones and computers. Why push the burden of parenting outside his family?
There is also the issue of the possibility of identity information being stolen and/or sold. No one needs to know anyone else’s legal kink or be blackmailed by it.
I wonder how many politicians will be grumbling for having to wait longer to see their favorite pornstars.
Perhaps parents shouldn’t rely on the government to protect their kids from porn and take a more active role in their kids online activities.
When I was nine, I found a stash of Playboy magazines while dumpster diving. I hid them in my toy box, replacing the toys. My parents discovered them, asked gently, and didn’t make a fuss. They let me keep them. Eventually, I got bored—couldn’t make sense of the articles—so I put my toys back and tossed the magazines.
That moment wasn’t about corruption or danger. It was about curiosity, handled with calm and trust. Today’s tech removes that friction, and the stakes are higher. But maybe the lesson isn’t just about blocking access—it’s about how adults respond when curiosity shows up. Respect, not panic, goes a long way.
How hard is it for the websites to simply block access to ALL users from Florida? Wonder how long the voting public there will want to live with that.
Verifying your age is just another way for the government to get your ID.
‘Bang Bros’ has no chance against DeSantis and the state of Floriduh 🤭
New feature developed. If you put in the incorrect information, your name is automatically put on the Epstein list.