PARIS — French media regulator Arcom released a statement Tuesday detailing recent actions to enforce age verification rules as set forth under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.
The statement notes that on March 6, Arcom sent letters to the providers of five services that allowed minors to access pornographic content without age verification.
Three of the services responded by implementing AV solutions, which Arcom says it is checking to ensure effectiveness.
According to Arcom, two of the services have so far failed to comply. This means those providers have 15 days to implement an age verification system, or else face possible blocking, delisting and/or financial penalties.
The statement did not name the websites or providers involved in the enforcement actions.
In October 2024, Arcom published a technical reference guide for implementing age verification under SREN, which began rolling out measures in January and is now coming into full effect.
Pornhub parent company Aylo is reportedly challenging provisions of SREN in court.
Currently, Arcom is enforcing age verification rules for site operators based in France. As of June 7, however, the agency will begin applying those rules to platforms based in other countries.
Arcom considers its standards a stopgap measure until the European Commission issues guidelines for age verification implementation under the EU's Digital Services Act.
