Starting November 12th, they'll be blocking porn for minors. Spoiler: It won't work (and it'll be worse).

From the November 12, 2025 Italy is implementing a digital revolution: minors will no longer be able to access pornographic sites. AGCOM has published the list of the first 48 portals (Pornhub, YouPorn, Xvideos, OnlyFans, and others) will have to verify users' ages through certified external apps or portals. This is in accordance with article 13-bis of the Caivano Decree (DL 123/2023), converted into law 159/2023, and of the resolution AGCOM n. 96/25/CONS. On paper, a sacrosanct measure to protect children from early exposure to pornographic content, which, all the data confirms, devastates body image, self-esteem, relationships, and mental health. In reality? Prepare for a spectacular failure that risks making the situation worse rather than solving it.

The numbers that no one wants to look at

Before dismantling the provision, let's put the facts in order. Pornhub alone receives approximately 92 million visits per day, with 63,992 visitors per minute and over 10 billion monthly visits. Globally, pornographic sites receive over 4.4 billion visits per month, with 150 million pages visited every day and the 30% of all global web traffic linked to sexual content. The industry earns over $97 billion a year, and the 73% of teenagers he saw pornographic material, with the 63% who did it in the last week. We're not talking about "some curious kid": we're talking about a generation that received sex education from Pornhub, who learned intimacy from unrealistic performances, Photoshopped bodies, and dynamics that objectify (especially women), turning sex into content to be consumed. The impact is documented: performance anxiety, destroyed self-esteem, inability to build authentic relationships, growing social isolation. Online porn isn't the problem in itself: it's the distorting mirror of a society that has replaced intimacy with exhibition, connection with voyeurism, presence with performance.

The Block: 48 Sites Out of Millions (Really?)

So AGCOM blocks 48 sites. Let's pause for a moment. 48 sites out of how many exist on the net? Millions. Millions and millions of portals, platforms, forums, Telegram channels, Discord groups, private servers, sites hosted in digital tax havens where Italian laws are laughable. Thinking that blocking 48 addresses could stop access to pornography is like trying to stop the sea with a teaspoon. But let's go further: even assuming these 48 were the only accessible sites (spoiler: they're not), the measure requires kids to download age verification app or be redirected to certified external portals To prove you're over 18. "Double anonymity" system, privacy guarantees, blah blah blah. Great on paper. But in reality?

What will really happen (spoiler: VPN)

Let's do a thought experiment. Put yourself in the shoes of a 15-year-old teenager accustomed to surfing the web. On November 12th, he tries to access his favorite website. It's blocked. A screen asks him to verify his age. He's initially confused. Then what does he do? What any digital native would do: he asks his tech-savvy friend (who doesn't have one?) how to bypass the ban. And the friend, with the wisdom of someone who's already bypassed the geoblock to watch US Netflix or download free games, replies: "“Install a VPN”VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) mask a user's IP address, making it appear as if they're connected from another country, rendering geoblocks completely ineffective. They work. Always. And they're as easy to install as any app.

Free VPNs: The Poisoned Gift

But here comes the crucial point that no one is considering. "Serious" VPNs (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark) cost money. Not a lot, but they cost money. A 15-year-old doesn't have a credit card. So where does he go? vpngratis.it (or equivalent) to look for the first free VPN they come across. And here the disaster begins. Free VPNs are free for a reasonYou're not paying with money, you're paying with your data. When you install a free VPN, in most cases you're giving a gift to some company (often Chinese, subject to national laws that require it to hand over data to the government upon request). full access to your device: browsing history, personal data, photos, messages, GPS location. Many implement outdated encryption protocols, maintain vulnerable infrastructure, and some directly contain malware Designed to compromise the device or extract sensitive information. The boy who just wanted to watch a porn video just gave the keys to his smartphone to strangers.

The scenario that no one wants to imagine

And now let's take it a step further. Imagine that some malicious person, some digital predator with a minimum of technical skills, decides to set up a free VPN service specifically to lure minors. This isn't science fiction: it's the logical consequence of a measure that pushes desperate teenagers towards tools they don't understand, installed from unverified sources, with full permissions on their devices. Private photos, chats, contacts, geolocation: all in the hands of whoever manages that VPN. Is this a plausible scenario? Not only that: it's likely. Because the predator doesn't even have to look for victims. They're the ones who surrender, willingly, trying to circumvent a useless roadblock.

The solution that no one uses: parental control

Do you know what would avoid all this? parental control. Parental control systems that smartphone manufacturers and carriers have been offering for years, allowing parents to filter content, monitor online activity, and block dangerous sites. In Italy, they are active on 1.2 million SIMs (data updated to May 2025), and some studies say that the 69.8% of parents applied technical limitations. Encouraging numbers, right? The problem is that there is still a lack of large portion of parents who doesn't use them, isn't aware of them, or doesn't know how to set them up. If you mention "parental controls" to most parents, they look at you blankly. They don't know what it is, they don't know how to activate it, and anyway, "my child is good, he doesn't need supervision." Until the good child installs a Chinese VPN to watch porn videos and finds his phone compromised and his data in the hands of who knows who.

The real problem: digital hypocrisy

The Caivano Decree, with all its load of good intentions, represents yet another example of legislative hypocrisy. Let's take a real problem (early exposure to pornography), pretend to solve it with a measure that sounds good on paper (let's block the sites!), completely ignore the technical reality (the Internet is huge, the blocks are easily circumvented), and create a collateral effect worse than the original problem (Teens installing malware to bypass the block). It's the perfect solution for those who want to say "we did something" without solving anything. While politicians celebrate themselves for "protecting minors," kids are already on Pornhub via a free VPN, with their data sold to the highest bidder.

What would really be needed?

What would it take to seriously address the problem? Education. Real sex education, not the kind taught with embarrassing PowerPoint presentations in eighth grade. Digital education, to teach kids what it means to install an app, what permissions to grant, and why free VPNs are dangerous. Education for parents, to make them understand that parental control isn't about "spying on your kids" but protecting them, and that no, their child is no different from other children. It would be helpful. cultural tools, not legislative patches. But education is slow, complex, and requires investment and expertise. It's much easier to block 48 sites, issue a press release, and hope no one notices it hasn't solved a damn thing.

Cynical but realistic epilogue

Starting November 12th, porn sites will be blocked for minors. Kids will install free VPNs en masse. Their data will end up in the wild. Some predators will take advantage of it. Parents will still be unaware of parental controls. And in a few months, when the first cases of compromised phones or worse emerge, everyone will pretend to be surprised. "How could we have predicted it?" they'll say. It was possible. It was obvious. But it was easier to pretend we'd solved the problem than to actually address it.
Welcome to the future of child protection: more dangerous than before, but with a legislative seal on it.