Use a VPN? States Look to Restrict Their Use to Protect Children From Porn

November 24, 2025 – Texas lawmakers are escalating their campaign to “protect children” from online pornography, but questions are mounting over whether the measures are effective — and whether the newest proposal, a statewide ban on VPNs, is even workable.

Age-verification laws in Texas are intended to reduce minors’ exposure to online pornography — but based on current evidence, they only partially work and come with significant limitations.

In 2023, Texas enacted one of the nation’s strictest age-verification laws for adult websites, requiring platforms to confirm users’ ages through government IDs or third-party verification services. State leaders hailed the law as a major step toward shielding minors from explicit content. But within weeks of its enactment, most major adult sites responded by blocking Texas users entirely rather than attempt compliance or risk liability.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that creates a secure, encrypted tunnel for your internet traffic to protect your privacy and anonymity. It works by routing your data through a remote server, which hides your real IP address and encrypts your activity, making it difficult for ISPs, hackers, and other third parties to track you online. This helps to secure your connection, especially on public Wi-Fi, and can bypass geographic restrictions.

Supporters claimed this was proof the law was working. Critics countered that tech-savvy teens — and many adults — simply turned to Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, to bypass geographic blocks and access the same content anonymously.

Now, state officials are reportedly drafting legislation that would restrict or ban VPN use for the purpose of circumventing age limits, framing the move as the next necessary step in “protecting children online.” Privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts warn such a ban could impact millions of Texans who rely on VPNs for remote work, personal data security, and protection from hacking. They also argue that enforcing a VPN ban would be technologically difficult, if not impossible, and could push users toward even more sophisticated workarounds.

Civil liberties groups say the escalating restrictions resemble a slippery slope toward broader digital surveillance. Tech industry analysts add that determined minors will continue finding ways around filters, while law-abiding adults could lose critical privacy tools.

State officials insist the proposals reflect growing public concern about children’s exposure to online pornography. Opponents argue that the state is oversimplifying a complex issue, pursuing headline-grabbing policies rather than investing in digital literacy, parental support, and comprehensive online-safety education.