- Missouri age verification rules affect more sites than just adults
- Mandatory age verification arrived on November 30, 2025
- Experts criticize the law for its “vague” terms
Mandatory age verification arrived in Missouri on Sunday, November 30, and some reports suggest that more websites may be affected than previously thought.
Missouri’s age verification law requires websites and apps to verify that users are at least 18 years old if they 33% or more of its content is considered “harmful” for minors. The law defines “harmful” content as sexually explicit material that lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.
Experts talking to TechnologyRadar They warn that these definitions are still too vague, creating a real risk of “mission slowdown.” And, according to some Reddit users, these concerns are not merely theoretical: they are already manifesting.
One person cited an online lingerie store that requires age checks for certain photos as evidence of the problem, saying: “I find that creepy talk.”
As of Monday, December 1, online sports betting is also legal in Missouri, requiring websites to verify that players are at least 21 years old. However, the state’s new age verification law makes no reference to limiting the age of this type of content, which could create confusion among providers.
Here at TechRadar, we’ve tried to check which websites have already been affected by the new rules when connecting to a virtual private network (VPN), but so far we’ve had mixed results. This suggests that the new requirements may still be being implemented.
“A comprehensive regime of surveillance and censorship”
“Missouri’s age verification mandate imposes a sweeping regime of surveillance and censorship that will exclude millions of adults and youth from vibrant, legal online spaces,” Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) activist Molly Buckley told TechRadar.
Buckley is especially critical of the law’s “vague standard” and “severe penalties,” noting that providers can face fines of up to $10,000 per day for noncompliance. She explains that these risks could “push platforms to over-censor important content, flee the state altogether, or ban young people outright to avoid liability risk.”
Your concerns seem well founded. Beyond user reports appearing on Reddit, Aylo, the parent company of many of the largest adult sites, has officially blocked access to everyone in Missouri. The company stated that it has taken this step in Missouri and several other states that have implemented similar laws to avoid endangering the privacy and security of user data.
To access adult-only content, users must prove their age and identity. They can do this by scanning a government-issued ID, providing other transactional data, or using a digital ID.
However, according to Buckley and other experts who spoke with TechnologyRadarForcing everyone to hand over their most valuable and sensitive identity data could lead to privacy abuses or data leaks.
“Lawmakers should focus on real solutions for everyone, like strong privacy protections and limits on data brokers, not broad censorship and surveillance mandates like this,” Buckley said.
How a VPN can help
If you’re worried about sharing sensitive details or want to avoid website blocks, you might consider a VPN. This tool encrypts your Internet connection and masks your IP address, allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions.
Many Missourians are already taking action: VPN searches have quadrupled since the new rules went into effect. However, be careful: shady companies are taking advantage of this increase. A search for “Missouri VPN” already reveals top results from providers our expert reviewers have never heard of.
And while there are a handful of free VPNs that are safe and reliable, they all have limitations. If you can, now is the perfect time to get one of the best VPN services on the market, as they all slashed their prices during Black Friday and are still discounted thanks to great Cyber Monday VPN deals.
This includes TechRadar’s top-rated service, NordVPN, which is now offering an even better exclusive Cyber Monday discount just for TechRadar readers. Here are all the details:
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of paid pirated content.
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