A European Commission report published Thursday warns that Snapchat and four popular adult websites are putting children’s rights and wellbeing at risk by allowing minors to access adult content without effective age verification. The audit found that underage users can bypass safeguards simply by clicking a button to claim they are 18, rather than completing robust checks.
The Commission identified Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos alongside Snapchat as failing to enforce minimum age limits. It said this weak oversight breaches EU digital rules, including the Digital Services Act, and could lead to substantial penalties if companies do not fix the shortcomings.
EU officials stressed that online platforms have a responsibility to deploy robust, privacy-preserving and effective measures to prevent minors from accessing adult services. Companies will receive preliminary findings and be expected to remedy problems to comply with EU law; firms that ignore requirements could face fines up to 6% of global annual turnover.
Snapchat is under particular scrutiny over enforcement of its 13-plus minimum age, and whether account settings and content exposure leave young users vulnerable to risks such as attempted grooming and criminal recruitment. Snapchat said it will cooperate with the Commission and aims to improve safety. The EU is also developing a privacy-preserving age verification app to let users prove their age without sharing personal data, expected by early 2027.
Edited by: Sean Sinico