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ARCOM tightens the screws: 31 more porn sites in its sights – what does this mean for German adult platform providers?

The French regulatory authority Arcom (Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique) announced a far-reaching decision on 29 July 2026: it is taking action against 31 additional pornographic websites that, in its view, fail to comply with legal youth protection requirements. This is the authority’s largest single action in this area to date.

Who is Arcom?

Arcom is an independent French supervisory authority. It is responsible for regulating audiovisual and digital media and has, among other tasks, the mandate to promote a “trusted internet” and to combat illegal or youth-endangering content. Following the merger of earlier institutions (including the former CSA), it has been given expanded powers – based both on the French SREN law (Sécurité et régulation de l’espace numérique) and the European Digital Services Act (DSA, known in French as RSN). The authority treats the protection of minors from pornographic content as a particular priority.

What does the current decision say?

Since February 2025, 35 of the porn sites most frequently visited by minors in France have either introduced age verification, stopped offering pornographic content to users in France, or been blocked at Arcom’s request. Some of these large platforms are also under investigation by the European Commission.

Arcom is now taking action against a further 31 sites that fail to meet their legal obligations. It is using the instruments provided by French and European law to compel the operators to implement effective age checks. According to the authority, this is its most extensive action to date to protect minors from online pornography.

Arcom cites data from Médiamétrie Netratings as evidence of success: the time spent by minors on porn sites has fallen by almost one third compared with the period before the first measures. The authority has announced that it will continue to act against displacement effects and is simultaneously calling for stronger European coordination.

Possible impacts on providers of adult platforms in Germany

Although the decision primarily concerns France, the consequences for German and internationally active adult providers are by no means negligible:

• EU-wide dimension through the DSA: The Digital Services Act applies across the entire European Union. Large platforms (“Very Large Online Platforms”) are already subject to heightened obligations. The French measures and the parallel EU investigations can serve as a precedent and increase pressure for uniform, strict age-verification systems throughout Europe.
• Technical and legal adaptation requirements: Many providers operate Europe-wide or global platforms. Those blocked in France or forced to introduce age verification face the question of whether to implement geo-blocking, different terms of use, or uniform, privacy-compliant age checks (for example via recognised identity proofs or third-party solutions). Simple self-declaration (“I am over 18”) is already considered insufficient in France.
• Spill-over effects and competition: Users and providers may attempt to switch to less regulated offerings. At the same time, pressure is growing on German authorities and policymakers to demand similar standards or to tighten existing youth protection rules (Youth Protection Act, Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media – JMStV). Platforms operating in several countries risk reputational damage or loss of reach if they are restricted in a major market such as France.
• Costs and operational risks: Implementing robust age-verification systems is technically and organisationally demanding and raises data-protection challenges (GDPR). Smaller or medium-sized German providers could be more heavily affected than large international groups. In the longer term there is also the risk of blocking orders that may have effects beyond national borders if hosting, domain registration or payment service providers are based in the EU.

For the industry, the Arcom decision primarily means one thing: the trend towards binding, technically effective age verification is no longer a purely French phenomenon. Anyone operating on a European or international scale should monitor developments closely and examine robust compliance strategies at an early stage – before further national or EU-wide measures follow.