Regulation Roulette: What It Really Means for Porn — and for the People Who Make It

Regulation Roulette: What It Really Means for Porn — and for the People Who Make It. Written by: Sophia Truee

The adult industry is no stranger to censorship, but summer 2025 has escalated the stakes dramatically. From U.S. Supreme Court rulings to nationwide bans, GDPR conflicts, VPN surges, and court battles over consent and employment rights — creators are navigating an increasingly hostile and fragmented regulatory landscape.

This post breaks down what these developments mean for platforms, policy, and most importantly, the creators whose livelihoods hang in the balance.

1. Texas & the Supreme Court: Free Speech or State Control?⚖️

In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Texas' HB 1181 — a law requiring age verification and warning labels on adult sites. The Court applied intermediate scrutiny, lowering the bar for other states to enact similar laws (XBIZ, 2024a; The Verge, 2025).

Why it matters:

• This decision opens the floodgates for similar legislation across the U.S.

• The ruling weakens First Amendment protections for adult speech online.

• Major platforms may resort to state-level geo-blocking, fragmenting U.S. traffic.

  
  

Industry response has been swift. The Free Speech Coalition labelled the ruling "devastating" for online privacy and adult rights (ACLU, 2024). Digital rights groups like EFF and FIRE have raised alarms over the chilling effects on lawful adult content (AP News, 2024).

2. France & the U.K Porn Regulations.: Privacy Clash in Europe🌍

In June, Aylo blocked access to Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn in France to protest the SREN law — which mandates third-party age verification. Civil liberties groups slammed the law for threatening user anonymity. In response, VPN usage in France spiked by over 1,000% within hours (XBIZ, 2024b; SAN, 2024).

A French court later suspended enforcement of SREN for EU-hosted sites, citing its incompatibility with EU law (XBIZ, 2024c). By contrast, the U.K.'s Ofcom has taken a more measured approach. Aylo confirmed it would comply with the U.K.’s new Online Safety Act, praising its focus on privacy-preserving solutions (XBIZ, 2024e).

Takeaway for creators: Law is moving faster than tech. The difference between outright bans and constructive regulation lies in collaboration, not coercion.

3. North Carolina’s Consent Law: A Threat to Porn Production Itself🚨

North Carolina’s HB 805 demands written, scene-specific consent and allows retroactive withdrawal — potentially nullifying decades of performer-model releases (XBIZ, 2024d). Platforms must comply with takedown demands within 72 hours.

Supporters argue this empowers performers to control their image post-production. Critics say it creates legal chaos and jeopardises even ethical content. As legal scholars have noted, “revocable consent” conflicts with settled contract law (EFF, 2024).

For creators: Maintain thorough documentation. Store ID, consent, and distribution records together. Join industry advocacy groups like the Free Speech Coalition to stay ahead of shifting compliance norms.

4. Scandals Still Shape Policy - even if it's old news👀

The guilty plea of GirlsDoPorn owner Michael Pratt for federal sex trafficking has become a political lightning rod (XBIZ, 2024f). While the case involved clear coercion, its media framing reinforces public fears about adult platforms — even when content is ethical.

Meanwhile, civil liberties groups including EFF and the ACLU submitted amicus briefs defending the founders of Backpage, warning that punishing platforms for user content threatens Section 230 protections (XBIZ, 2024h).

Lesson: High-profile abuses make lawmakers overcorrect. Ethical creators must self-regulate and support legal protections to avoid getting swept up in the backlash.

5. Employment Discrimination in the Spotlight🧑‍🏫

University of Wisconsin professor Joe Gow was fired for sharing consensual adult content on OnlyFans with his wife. A federal judge has allowed the wrongful termination suit to proceed to trial in 2026 (XBIZ, 2024g).

This case matters because it highlights the ongoing stigma creators face outside adult circles. Morality clauses, social scrutiny, and institutional bias remain real threats — even in allegedly liberal workplaces. Consenting adults should be allowed to participate in sexual activity without it impacting their professional life. God forbid we have a life outside of work!

6. Consumer Behaviour Makes Porn-Ban Laws Obsolete🌐

The VPN surge in France proves that porn bans and age-verification laws don’t eliminate demand — they redirect it. After Aylo blocked sites in France, VPN sign-ups soared instantly (SAN, 2024).

This underscores a paradox:

• Age checks often do little to protect minors.

• They do, however, restrict adults' rights to access legal content.

  
  

This pattern has repeated in Utah, Mississippi, and Texas — showing that users will circumvent censorship, often at the cost of safety and data privacy (AP News, 2024).

🛠️ What Creators Can Do Now

Action	Why It Matters
Diversify income by being on multiple platforms	Reduces reliance on any one company or jurisdiction
Implement strong consent practices	Protects you under new and future consent laws
Educate fans on safe access tools	Preserves traffic even in restricted regions
Join advocacy orgs (FSC, EFF, ACLU)	Ensures your voice is part of legal and policy discussions
Track traffic geos	Allows fast response to national-level site bans

Final Thoughts: A Moment of Reckoning 🧠

2025 is a regulatory tipping point. We're witnessing the politicisation of porn, the fracturing of free expression, and the rise of data-centric compliance regimes. Creators are no longer just artists or entertainers — they are business owners in an increasingly politicised tech ecosystem.

Some governments are working with the industry. Others are legislating it out of existence.

So here’s the question:

Are we building systems that protect both children and free expression — or just making it harder to be an adult online?

Further Reading📚

• ACLU: Statement on FSC v. Paxton

• The Verge: Why Porn Age-Gating Is the Future of the Internet

• EFF: Why Age Verification Laws Are a Privacy Disaster

• City Journal: In Defense of Texas’ Age Verification Law

• SAN: VPN Usage Surges in France After Pornhub Block

References📋

ACLU. (2024) FSC v. Paxton: ACLU Response. [online] Available at: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/fsc-paxton-age-verification [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

AP News. (2024) What to know about online age verification laws. [online] Available at: https://apnews.com/article/def346d7bf299566a3687d8c4f224fec [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

City Journal. (2024) In Defense of Texas’ Age Verification Law. [online] Available at: https://www.city-journal.org/article/supreme-court-texas-porn-case-free-speech-coalition-v-paxton [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

EFF. (2024) Why Age Verification is a Privacy and Security Nightmare. [online] Available at: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/fsc-v-paxton [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

SAN. (2024) VPN Demand Jumps 1000% After Pornhub Pulls Out of France. [online] Available at: https://san.com/cc/vpn-demand-jumps-1000-after-pornhub-pulls-out-of-france [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

The Guardian. (2025) UK takes softer tone on online age checks. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/[Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

The Verge. (2025) Porn Age-Gating is the Future of the Internet. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/internet-censorship/686042/supreme-court-fsc-paxton-porn-age-verification-ruling [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024a) Updated: Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/289584/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024b) Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law. [online]

Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/289906/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024c) French Court Suspends Age Verification Rule for EU Sites. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290274/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024d) North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290480/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024e) Aylo Says It Will Comply With UK Age Assurance Requirements. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290458/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024f) GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/289968/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024g) Trial Set for Lawsuit by U Wisconsin Professor Fired Over Adult Content. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290421/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024h) Rights Groups File Amicus Brief Supporting Backpage Defendants. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290272/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].

XBIZ. (2024i) Report: VPN Usage Surges in France After Aylo Restricts Access to Pornhub. [online] Available at: https://www.xbiz.com/news/290189/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2025].