Pornographic websites blocked for minors: what new rules apply in April 2025?

In a context where minors' access to pornography and pornographic websites has become a leading societal concern, the recent blocking rules introduced by the French audiovisual and digital regulatory authority (ARCOM) reflect a strong determination to protect this vulnerable age group.

As of 11 April 2025, a new era is beginning when it comes to age verification, requiring users of pornographic websites to authenticate their identity through more demanding means. This change is crucial, all the more so as studies reveal that around 30% of visitors to these websites are internet users under the age of 18, thereby exposing minors to content that is often inappropriate.

What does this SREN Act really mean for access to adult content, and how far-reaching is it? Moreover, the question of the protection of minors and privacy arises, particularly at a time when technologies such as artificial intelligence play a key role in these new processes. Throughout this article, we will explore the issues raised by this legislation as well as the direct implications for pornographic websites and their audiences.

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How is age verification carried out on pornographic websites?

With the new rules entering into force on 11 April 2025, pornographic websites must comply with stricter age verification requirements. These measures aim to reduce minors' access to inappropriate content, which, according to ARCOM, affects around 2.3 million young users.

In practical terms, users will have to choose between two methods to confirm that they are over 18 years of age:

• Submitting a photograph of their identity card;
• Recording a video of their face, to be analysed by an artificial intelligence system for facial verification.

These new methods replace the former approach, which merely relied on ticking a box to attest to one's adulthood. This change strengthens the requirements regarding the protection of minors, by incorporating measures designed to ensure double anonymity of personal data, an essential aspect in the digital age.

ARCOM has been granted enhanced powers under the Act of 21 May 2024 known as the SREN Act, which allows it to monitor websites' compliance at any time, without depending on user complaints.

The implementation of this age verification raises fundamental questions about the implications of these techniques for users' privacy. Indeed, how can the safety of minors be reconciled with respect for their personal data? The issues surrounding data protection lie at the heart of this matter. This leads us to consider the consequences of the SREN Act, which we will address in the following section.

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What are the consequences of the SREN Act on minors' access to adult content?

The SREN Act, in force as of 11 April 2025, has significant consequences for minors' access to pornographic websites. By strengthening the blocking for minors regime, this legislation primarily aims to limit their exposure to content deemed inappropriate.

These new rules place on pornographic websites the responsibility of ensuring that their users are indeed adults. This raises several implications:

In short, the protection of minors is becoming an essential priority, but it must be accompanied by careful thought about the means to be implemented to safeguard users' privacy. This is a delicate balance that this Act seeks to strike.

Yet, despite these new measures, limitations remain as to the implementation and effectiveness of these processes. This prompts us to consider the major challenges that still need to be overcome in the effort to protect minors from access to adult content.

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The limits of the legislation: what challenges remain to be overcome?

Despite the entry into force of the new blocking for minors rules introduced by ARCOM, challenges remain as to the effectiveness of this legislation in making pornographic websites inaccessible to minors. Two major aspects deserve to be examined in this discussion.

First, there is the issue of foreign websites operating outside the French legal framework. Under the European e-commerce directive, digital services based in other Member States are not subject to the additional regulations imposed by France. Giants such as Pornhub and Youporn, headquartered in Cyprus, can thus claim treatment free of obligations relating to age verification.

• Limited enforcement of the rules: Although ARCOM has obtained enhanced powers under the SREN Act, the legislation can only bind websites that comply with French law or that are based in the EU.
• Circumvention of compliance measures: Underage users could circumvent the restrictions imposed by using solutions such as VPNs to mask their geolocation and access pornographic websites without age verification.

Next, there is also a degree of legal ambiguity as to how the legislation will apply in practice. The Act will have to demonstrate its compliance with European directives, particularly as regards the protection of minors in a context where users' privacy is also at stake.

The Ministry of Culture has already issued an order to extend the application of these rules to 17 websites, but this remains insufficient in light of the scale of the phenomenon. The legal uncertainties suggest that the legislation could quickly be called into question.

In short, these new measures should be regarded as a step forward in the protection of minors, while highlighting that effective control mechanisms still need to be refined. Future challenges will test public authorities and society as a whole as to their ability to protect young people in the face of internet phenomena.