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EU opens formal probe into four porn platforms over child protection lapses

The inquiry marks the EU’s first major enforcement action under the Digital Services Act against age verification failures on very large platforms

The EU's DSA law forces the world's biggest tech companies to do more to protect European users online
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The Pornhub website is shown on a computer screen in Toronto on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Henna Virkkunen, European Commissioner for Tech-Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, gives a press conference at the end of the weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

Overview

  • European Commission has initiated investigations into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos for suspected breaches of DSA child safety rules
  • An AFP test found each site allowed access via a single self-declaration click without further age checks, raising concerns over minor exposure
  • Violations could incur fines of up to 6% of global turnover or lead to bans for serious or repeated offences
  • Though Stripchat lost its very large platform status after falling below the 45 million user threshold, its child protection obligations remain in force
  • The EU is developing a unified age-verification app and coordinating national regulators to oversee smaller adult content platforms