Major pornographic websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube need to verify the age of users in France, the country’s top administrative court said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
More than half of all boys in France access porn sites on average every month from age 12, French audiovisual watchdog Arcom said in June.<\/p>\n
France is trying to prevent minors from accessing pornography, but has faced pushback from adult websites.<\/p>\n
The government in March ordered porn sites based in the European Union, but not in France, to check the ages of their visitors based on a French law from 2024, to prevent underage users from accessing them.<\/p>\n
Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube, all owned by the same parent company, made themselves unavailable in France in early June in protest.<\/p>\n
Hammy Limited, an adult film firm based on Cyprus and the operator of the Xhamster platform, took legal steps against the French decree.<\/p>\n
The Paris administrative tribunal last month then suspended it, pending an investigation into whether it was compatible with EU legislation.<\/p>\n
After the government appealed, the Council of State, the country’s top administrative court, on Tuesday said it had annulled that suspension.<\/p>\n
“YouPorn and Pornhub hit a wall. Judicial manoeuvrings in order to not protect children don’t work,” said France’s junior minister for digital affairs Clara Chappaz on X.<\/p>\n
In a bid to protect privacy, Arcom, the French watchdog, has recommended operators offer a third-party “double-blind” option that would prevent the platforms from seeing users’ identifying information.<\/p>\n