New laws in 2025 will affect everything from prenatal leave to social media

New regulations in 2025 will affect healthcare, social media, schools, and rents nationwide. These laws primarily aim to expand protections for workers, children and consumers.

Wage hikes
Beginning from January 1, the minimum wage rose in 21 states and 48 cities/counties. By 2027, nearly half of US workers will live in states with at least a $15 minimum wage.

Porn/adult watching
As of Wednesday, 17 states, including Florida and Tennessee, implemented stricter age verification for accessing adult content online to prevent minors from viewing explicit material.

Aylo (previously known as MindGeek), which owns PornHub and several other adult content sites, has decided to block all users in those states as they hold online publishers liable for private lawsuits and several thousand dollars in fines if they don’t perform “reasonable age verification methods to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the material.”

What else is under the new state laws?
Paid prenatal leave: New York became the first state to offer paid time off for prenatal care. Pregnant workers will receive 20 hours of paid sick time for medical visits. Employers cannot require employees to choose between regular sick leave and prenatal leave.

AI protections for performers: California actors and performers now have legal protections against the misuse of their digital likeness by artificial intelligence or digital media.

Child influencer pay protection: New laws will ensure parents save 15% of minors’ earnings from online content in trust accounts. It extends existing protections for young actors to include content creators.

No forced outing: California schools cannot force teachers to disclose students’ gender identity without consent. The law protects LGBTQ+ students from involuntary disclosure.

Rent tax elimination: Arizona eliminated taxes on rental properties, requiring landlords to pass the savings to tenants.

Social media ban: Children under 14 in Florida cannot have social media accounts.

No more junk fees: Minnesota businesses can no longer add hidden costs at the end of transactions.