EU Probes Porn Sites, Plans Age Verification App

The European Commission has launched formal investigations into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos over suspected failures to protect minors from accessing explicit content, as required by the Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigations focus on deficiencies in age verification and insufficient risk assessment and mitigation measures for minors' privacy and safety. Platforms found in breach of the DSA may face fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. In parallel, EU member states are increasing enforcement against smaller sites to ensure consistent child protection standards. The Commission is also developing an EU-wide age verification app to strengthen online child safety. Industry representatives have responded by advocating for broader, device-level solutions rather than placing all responsibility on individual platforms.