The European Commission has initiated investigations into the porn platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos for potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), focusing on the protection of minors.
The probes center on concerns that the age verification measures used by these sites may be insufficient. The Commission found through mandatory reports and information requests that these companies “didn’t put appropriate and proportionate measures in place to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors, in particular with age verification tools to safeguard minors from adult content.”
Furthermore, the platforms failed to conduct risk assessments or take steps to mitigate negative impacts on children’s rights, and “did not use appropriate age verification tools to prevent minors from accessing adult content,” the Commission stated.
Protecting young users online is a major enforcement priority under the DSA. The Commission has previously launched similar investigations into platforms like Facebook and Instagram, operated by Meta.
The DSA came into force in 2023 for the largest online platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, X, and Amazon. Porn sites were brought under its scope after surpassing the threshold of 45 million average monthly users. Currently, 25 platforms are designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), with ongoing probes into Temu, X, TikTok, and Meta as well.
For the recent investigations, the Commission coordinated with member states via the European Board for Digital Services. This collaboration also extended to actions aimed at protecting minors on smaller platforms, which fall under national authorities’ oversight due to their lower user numbers.
The scope of the probes may expand as investigations progress. Earlier this month, the Commission launched a public consultation on draft guidelines to help platforms enhance privacy, safety, and security for children online.
