EU Launches Investigation into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos Over Child Protection Concerns

The European Union launched an investigation into four pornographic platforms (Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos) for failing to stop children from accessing adult content. The EU suspects the platforms are breaching the bloc's digital content law by not having effective age-verification measures. An AFP correspondent was able to access the platforms without proper age verification. The investigation focuses on risks to child protection and privacy.

The European Union has initiated an investigation into four major pornographic platforms— Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos—accusing them of not having effective age-verification measures to prevent children from accessing adult content. The EU's tech regulator, the European Commission, announced the probe on Tuesday [1].

The investigation focuses on the platforms' failure to implement "appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security for minors," according to the commission [1]. An AFP correspondent was able to access the platforms without proper age verification, demonstrating the lack of effective age-verification systems [1].

The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to protect European users online, requires "very large" online platforms with at least 45 million monthly active users in the EU to follow strict rules. Pornhub, XNXX, and XVideos fall under this category, while Stripchat has been removed from the list due to a reduction in user numbers [2].

The commission is concerned that the current system of self-declaration is ineffective and has not requested the platforms to provide evidence of their age-verification systems. Violations of the DSA can result in fines of up to six percent of a firm's global turnover, and platforms found guilty of serious and repeated violations can be banned from operating in Europe [1].

The investigation comes as the EU aims to protect children online and is developing an age-verification app to be available by the summer. The commission is also working with national authorities to ensure smaller pornographic platforms comply with the bloc's digital rules [3].

Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, has stated that it is fully committed to ensuring online safety for minors but hopes that governments will implement laws that protect users' safety and security. The company suggests verifying users' ages with individual devices rather than having websites do it [3].

The investigation underscores the EU's commitment to protecting minors online and ensuring the safety and security of its citizens. The DSA's wide remit includes provisions for protecting children from inappropriate content, and the EU is expanding its probes to cover other issues under the law [2].

References:
[1] https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250527-eu-investigates-four-porn-platforms-over-risks-to-children
[2] https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-pornhub-stripchat-xnxx-xvideos-goes-after-porn-platforms/
[3] https://apnews.com/article/eu-european-union-digital-porn-regulation-f0e711529447e24a0e2d59b4858c0560