The European Commission announced on Tuesday, May 27, that it has opened an investigation into the four largest pornographic platforms – Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos – which it said had not taken sufficient measures to avoid “negative effects on children as well as users’ mental and physical wellbeing.”
In light of digital services regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Commission regretted the absence of “appropriate” tools on these sites to verify users’ ages and protect minors from adult content. Currently, a simple click is all that is required for a user to declare they are over 18, without being asked to prove the truth of that claim.
“Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice president of the Commission in charge of technological sovereignty, security and democracy, on Tuesday. “Together” with member states, “we are determined to tackle any potential harm to young online users,” she continued.
Establishing a ‘digital age of consent’
If, by the conclusion of the investigation by the European Commission, Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos do not change their practices, they could face heavy penalties. They risk fines of up to 6% of their global turnover and, in cases of serious and repeated violations, may even be banned from operating within the European Union (EU).
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