The days of posting porn on social media may be gone soon, that is if France has their way.

The French government may soon classify mainstream platforms like Reddit, Bluesky, and X (formerly Twitter) as pornographic websites, compelling them to implement stringent age verification controls or face serious penalties, including fines, search engine delisting, or outright blocking.

French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz confirmed this week that her office is actively reviewing these platforms under SREN, the 2023 French law aimed at enforcing age verification on sites hosting pornographic or sexually explicit content. While the law is already being used to regulate adult content platforms like Pornhub and xHamster, its expansion into social media marks a potential turning point in global digital content regulation.

“Our focus is age verification for any platform that distributes or enables the sharing of pornographic content,” Chappaz’s office told Politico EU on Wednesday.

• Bluesky, originally positioned as a decentralized alternative to X, has become a sex-worker-friendly space, in contrast to the increasingly moderated policies of mainstream platforms.
• Reddit allows uncensored nudity across various communities, with moderation and age gating largely in the hands of volunteer moderators.
• X, now owned by Elon Musk, has already come under scrutiny in other countries for adult content and faces potential designation in France, which could lead to enforcement actions under SREN.

France’s efforts are part of a larger shift. President Emmanuel Macron this week reiterated his push to restrict under-15 access to social media, giving new urgency to regulatory efforts following a tragic school-related stabbing.

France’s unilateral effort to designate major platforms as pornographic sites may face legal challenges. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the power to regulate Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) like X rests primarily with the European Commission. While the Commission has launched its own DSA investigations into Meta, TikTok, and X, the specific issue of pornographic content exposure to minors on social media has not yet triggered formal proceedings.

However, Thomas Regnier, a Commission spokesperson, noted that “appropriate risk mitigation measures” regarding pornographic content are part of the DSA’s expectations.

Adult content companies have already taken drastic steps in response to France’s laws:

• Aylo, parent company of Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn, recently blocked access to its free sites in France, calling the verification rules “dangerous” and “potentially privacy-infringing.”
• Other platforms like xHamster, XNXX, and XVideos have resisted compliance and may face action from ARCOM, France’s communications regulator.

Social media giants, including X, Reddit, and Bluesky, did not respond to requests for comment. X’s public policy states that explicit content is age-restricted, but birth date self-reporting remains unverified, leaving open the possibility for minors to access adult material with ease.

If France proceeds with classifying these platforms as porn sites, it would trigger the same age-verification requirements already applied to adult websites. These requirements include third-party ID checks and limitations on anonymous browsing.

Such a move would likely provoke:

• Free speech and privacy challenges
• Implementation questions, especially for decentralized or partially user-moderated platforms
• Pushback from the platforms themselves, particularly around feasibility and enforcement scope

The bottom line is that France is aggressively pursuing a regulatory model that treats exposure to online pornography, even when that content is hosted on widely used platforms like Reddit and X.

France may be the first, but they won’t be the last, demanding that social media platforms ban adult content.