The European Union has taken simultaneous regulatory action against major online platforms over child protection failings, accusing four adult content sites of systemic breaches and launching a formal probe into Snapchat.
The European Commission announced preliminary findings on Thursday that Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos have violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The regulator stated that minors could easily access all four platforms by simply clicking a button to confirm they were over 18, a process it deemed insufficient to protect children’s rights and well-being. The companies now face potential fines of up to six percent of their global annual turnover.
Separately, the Commission opened its first formal investigation into Snapchat under the DSA. The probe will examine whether the US-owned messaging app, which has approximately 97 million monthly active users in the EU, adequately protects minors. Specific concerns include exposing young users to grooming attempts and facile access to information about illegal products, such as drugs. Snapchat is particularly popular among teenagers and young adults.
Both actions underscore the EU’s aggressive use of the DSA, a landmark law that imposes strict due diligence and transparency obligations on very large online platforms. A Snapchat spokesperson stated that user safety is a top priority and confirmed the company is fully cooperating with the Commission. The adult platforms named have not yet issued public statements.
The proceedings highlight a critical enforcement frontier for the DSA: ensuring design choices do not inadvertently enable minor access to harmful content. The outcomes of these cases will set significant precedents for how all major digital services must implement age verification and risk mitigation systems within the 27-nation bloc.
