On May 27, 2025, the European Commission opened a formal investigation into four pornographic platforms: Pornhub, XNXX, XVideos, and Stripchat. The reason: potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), particularly regarding the protection of minors and age verification.
The Digital Services Act (DSA)
It is a European Union regulation that came into force in 2024. Its objective is to guarantee a safer and more transparent digital environment for citizens, with a special focus on combating illegal content, disinformation, and protecting minors.
Platforms considered “large,” such as those investigated, have additional obligations: they must assess and mitigate systemic risks, implement reliable age verification measures, and offer effective and accessible reporting mechanisms.
Investigation into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos. What were the reasons?
According to the Commission, preliminary investigations have revealed deficiencies in age verification, the detection and mitigation of risks related to harmful content, and the protection of minors’ privacy. Platforms are required, under the DSA, to prevent minor users from accessing pornographic content.
Although Stripchat is no longer classified as a large platform under the DSA, the Cypriot national authority remains open to investigate the company, indicating that the company’s responsibilities do not disappear with the change of category.
Systemic risks detected
Absence or weakness of mechanisms to verify the age of majority of users.
Lack of proactive measures to prevent minors from being exposed to explicit sexual content.
Poorly transparent policies regarding the processing of personal data of European users.
Coordination between Member States
The investigation takes place within a context of increasing coordination between EU Member States. Through the European Board for Digital Services, joint actions are being promoted to monitor smaller platforms that may be committing similar violations.
This cooperation allows for the sharing of information, best practices, and common legal strategies to ensure that all digital platforms—large and small—comply with DSA standards.
New guidelines on the protection of minors
In parallel with the investigations, the European Commission has published draft guidelines on the safety of minors online. These guidelines will provide a clear framework for platforms to adopt effective protection policies, including:
Technical requirements for reliable and privacy-friendly age verification.
Methods for assessing the risks of minors being exposed to harmful content.
Best practices for content moderation and collaboration with public agencies.
Launch of an age verification app
In addition, the launch of a white-label age verification app is planned. This tool, which can be implemented by any digital platform, will offer a standardized system to ensure safe and legal access to age-restricted content.
Legal and reputational repercussions
If investigations confirm violations, platforms could face significant sanctions. The DSA provides for fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover in the case of serious violations. Beyond the economic impact, the trust of users, advertisers, and legislators is also at stake.
The European Commission has already warned on several occasions that it will be relentless with platforms that “fail to protect minors and systematically violate European Union law.”
