Four adult content platforms, namely Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos, have been accused of violating European Union regulations by allowing minors to access explicit content on their websites, as announced by EU regulators on Thursday. This violation could result in substantial fines.
The charges stem from a 10-month investigation conducted under the Digital Services Act of the EU, which mandates that large online platforms take stronger actions to combat illegal and harmful content. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen emphasized the importance of implementing robust, privacy-preserving, and effective measures on these platforms to prevent minors from accessing adult content at increasingly younger ages.
If found guilty of breaching the Digital Services Act, companies could face fines up to six percent of their global annual turnover. The European Commission, responsible for enforcing the act, criticized the companies for not utilizing objective and thorough methodologies to evaluate the risks associated with minors accessing their services.
Specifically, the Commission accused Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos of prioritizing their reputations over the societal risks posed to minors. Inadequate age verification measures, such as self-declaration tools and simplistic age confirmation clicks, were highlighted as ineffective in preventing children from accessing these platforms.
The regulator also raised concerns about the companies’ self-declaration tool and other measures like page blurring and content warnings, stating that these methods were insufficient in preventing minors from accessing their services. To address these issues, the Commission urged the platforms to implement privacy-preserving age verification mechanisms to shield children from harmful content.
In a related development, the EU’s executive commission announced a formal investigation into Snapchat under the Digital Services Act due to concerns that the platform is not adequately safeguarding children from risks like increased susceptibility to child predators or recruitment by criminals. While Snapchat requires users to be at least 13 years old to use the platform, the Commission expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the company’s “age assurance” system in keeping young users off the platform. Snapchat responded by stating its full cooperation with the Commission and commitment to meeting the DSA’s safety standards.
This regulatory action coincides with recent significant legal judgments in the United States, where Meta and YouTube were held liable in a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles. Another jury decision found Meta in violation of New Mexico state regulations designed to protect children from harm.