The European Commission has launched formal proceedings against four major adult content platforms—Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX, and Stripchat—for suspected violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), specifically for failing to protect minors from harmful content online adequately.

According to a statement released by the Commission on Monday, the investigations center on the platforms’ lack of effective age verification tools and broader failures to assess and mitigate risks to children. These proceedings mark the most significant enforcement action to date under the DSA’s child protection provisions.

“The online space should be a safe environment for children to learn and connect,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of the Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. “Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online.”

The Commission’s early findings, drawn from risk assessment reports submitted by the platforms in 2024 and subsequent requests for information, suggest the services failed to:

• Implement age-appropriate design measures;
• Ensure robust, privacy-respecting age verification systems;
• Mitigate risks to minors’ mental and physical well-being;
• Prevent underage access to adult material.

If the violations are confirmed, the platforms could face significant penalties for infringing the DSA. However, the Commission emphasized that the opening of proceedings does not prejudge the outcome.

Separately, the Commission announced it has revoked Stripchat’s designation as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the DSA, after the platform submitted evidence showing it had dropped below the 45 million monthly active user threshold in the EU for over a year.

Stripchat, based in Cyprus, will remain subject to standard DSA obligations, including requirements to protect minors, but oversight will now fall to Cyprus’s Radiotelevision Authority, the country’s Digital Services Coordinator.

The VLOP reclassification takes effect in four months, after which the platform will be regulated at the national level rather than by the Commission.

In parallel to the Commission’s investigations, EU Member States have launched a coordinated enforcement initiative targeting smaller adult content platforms operating within their jurisdictions. These actions are being led by national Digital Services Coordinators to ensure consistent application of the DSA.

The European Board for Digital Services is also supporting the effort to provide a unified front in safeguarding minors online.

The Commission will now conduct a more in-depth investigation, which may include interviews, site inspections, and additional data requests. Enforcement measures could include interim orders, non-compliance decisions, or the acceptance of remedial commitments from the companies involved.

Meanwhile, the Commission continues to develop supportive measures, including a white-label EU age verification app, designed to verify a user’s age without disclosing personal identity, which is expected to launch by summer 2025, ahead of the full deployment of the EU Digital Wallet in 2026.

The DSA, which came into effect for VLOPs in 2023, is the EU’s most comprehensive framework for regulating online platforms. It mandates large platforms to perform systematic risk assessments and implement mitigation strategies, particularly regarding risks to minors.

These latest proceedings underscore the EU’s intent to enforce the DSA’s protections for young users rigorously and to hold platforms accountable for failing to meet safety and transparency standards in digital spaces.