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Child Safety · Digital Services Act · EU Regulation · Social Media
European Union regulators formally investigate Snapchat under the Digital Services Act for insufficient age assurance and child protection, while also accusing four major pornographic websites—Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos—of failing to protect minors from adult content.
The European Commission suspects Snapchat's systems are inadequate at preventing underage users (under 13) from accessing the platform, exposing teens (under 17) to inappropriate content, and failing to protect minors from harmful users or illegal products. Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc., stated full cooperation with the Commission, emphasizing user safety as a top priority.
This probe adds to increasing pressure on social media companies, following recent multi-million dollar jury awards against Meta and YouTube in the U.S. for harming young users. The EU also accused TikTok earlier this year of DSA breaches and has investigated Facebook and Instagram since 2024 for similar child protection issues.
The four porn sites face accusations of failing to identify and assess risks to children, relying on insufficient "self-declaration" age checks. XVideos pushed back, arguing that isolated age checks are ineffective and drive users to unregulated sites, while Aylo, Pornhub's parent, claims its measures exceed legal requirements.
Companies found in breach of the DSA face hefty fines up to 6% of annual revenue.
