SHOCKING EU CRACKDOWN: Porn Giants Under Fire for Allegedly Exposing Millions of Kids to Pornography
In a dramatic move that has stunned the online adult entertainment industry, the European Commission has launched a sweeping investigation into four of the world’s biggest pornography websites—over allegations that they have failed to protect minors from explicit content. The probe, announced Tuesday, accuses the platforms of breaching the EU’s stringent Digital Services Act (DSA) by lacking effective age verification systems, thereby leaving children dangerously exposed to pornographic material. “Online platforms must ensure that the rights and best interests of children are central,” the Commission warned, citing a blatant disregard for safeguarding obligations.
The DSA, which came into effect in 2022, requires all large platforms operating in the EU to implement “appropriate and proportionate” safety measures, especially those involving child protection. According to the Commission, the accused sites have not implemented robust mechanisms to stop underage users from accessing harmful content, prompting immediate scrutiny. The situation is especially urgent given that three of the four sites—excluding Stripchat as of Tuesday—have been labeled “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOPs), a designation that triggers the highest regulatory obligations. The Commission emphasized that despite Stripchat’s removal from the VLOP list due to user metrics, it remains fully bound by the DSA’s child protection mandates.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty and democracy, reinforced the EU’s commitment to protecting minors online, declaring, “Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online.” The Commission also revealed it is developing a groundbreaking age-verification app slated for release this summer, designed to verify age without compromising user privacy. With global attention now fixated on this high-stakes crackdown, the adult content industry faces an existential challenge: comply with new digital protections—or risk being digitally dismantled in the world’s largest regulatory market.
