Eight out of 14 European countries covered have regulatory initiatives aimed at controlling or restricting minors' exposure to pornographic content on internet platforms, according to our latest benchmark. 

Key takeaways

France, Italy, Poland and the UK have specific initiatives that target pornographic content, whereas in Belgium (VL), Germany, Ireland and Spain, the initiatives also aim to target other types of harms, such as gratuitous violence, cyberbullying, self-harm and incitement to suicide.

Depending on the country, the research shows that online platforms disseminating adult content in the widest sense are covered (i.e. user-generated content (UGC) platforms, video-sharing platforms (VSPs), social media, etc.) as well as operating systems in France and search engines in the UK.

In France, Italy, Germany and the UK, media regulators have started to enforce the rules by launching actions against platforms hosting pornographic content. 

Context

These initiatives reflect the growing countries' concern over the potential risks associated with unrestricted access to pornographic content.

Some legislative initiatives at EU level aim to protect minors online. Among these initiatives, there are those which require online platforms (e.g. social media, VSPs...) to take measures to prevent the dissemination of (illegal) content where minors are victims (such as child sexual abuse or grooming), and those aiming to protect minors from being exposed to illegal or legal but inappropriate or harmful content (such as pornography and bullying).

The benchmark shows the initiatives proposed or in place in some selected European countries to control or restrict the exposure of minors to online pornographic content. 

Scope
Region: Europe
Countries covered: Belgium (VL+WA), Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Policy area: online safety / child protection
Last updated: April 2026

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You may also be interested in our benchmark of national initiatives in Europe to ban access to social media.