Brussels accuses several porn sites of insufficient underage protective measures
The European Commission has drawn preliminary conclusions that the platforms allow under-18s to access their services and contents
Olaz Hernández
Thursday, 26 March 2026, 19:16
The European Commission published on Thursday its preliminary findings regarding its investigation into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos, concluding that these platforms do not adequately protect minors.
The Commission states that "even when risks are identified", these companies "do not conduct a thorough assessment" and continue allowing under-18s access to pornographic content.
According to the EU body, the platforms' assessment focuses more on business aspects, such as reputational damage, rather than on the risks to minors. Furthermore, the findings show that, in their risk assessments, Stripchat, Xvideos and XNXX have "misrepresented or failed to consider" the learnings obtained from collaboration "with civil organisations specialising in children's rights and age verification tools".
Despite their Terms of Service stating that their content is for adults only, the four websites allow minors access with a simple click confirming they are over 18.
Brussels believes that this 'self-declaration' "is not an effective measure and that mitigation measures such as page blurring, content warnings and 18+ labels do not effectively prevent minors from accessing harmful content".
Therefore, the Commission states that the four companies in question must implement age verification measures that protect privacy and safeguard minors from harmful content. The companies now have the opportunity to exercise their right to defend themselves.
If the Commission's suspicions are confirmed, the European institution could issue a non-compliance decision, which could result in a fine proportional to the infringements committed and could reach up to six per cent of these platforms' annual global revenue.
Snapchat investigation
The Commission also announced that it has opened a formal investigation into Snapchat's safety and privacy measures. Brussels believes that Snapchat "may have infringed European digital regulations by exposing minors to recruitment and targeting for criminal purposes, as well as to information on the sale of illegal (drugs) or age-restricted products (e-cigarettes and alcohol)".
