EU Preliminarily Finds Stripchat in Breach of the DSA
On 26 March 2026 the European Commission preliminarily found Stripchat, along with Pornhub, XNXX and XVideos, in breach of the Digital Services Act for failing to keep minors away from adult content. The Commission said a click-to-confirm 18+ gate, page blurring and warning labels are not enough, and that the sites need privacy-preserving age verification. The findings are not final.
In short
- Date: 26 March 2026 (Commission press release IP/26/722).
- Who: Stripchat, Pornhub, XNXX and XVideos.
- Why: self-declaration, blurring, warnings and "Restricted to adults" labels judged ineffective at protecting minors.
- Possible outcome: a fine of up to 6% of worldwide turnover if the findings are confirmed.
What the Commission found
The Commission's preliminary view is that the four platforms do not do enough to stop minors from reaching pornographic content. It judged the measures in place ineffective: users simply declaring that they are adults, blurred pages, warnings and labels saying a page is "Restricted to adults". The press release says the platforms "need to implement privacy preserving age verification measures".
The Commission also said Stripchat, XVideos and XNXX misrepresented meetings with civil society organizations. Preliminary findings are a formal step in DSA proceedings: the companies can respond and see the file before any final decision. If the Commission confirms a breach, the DSA allows fines of up to 6% of a provider's worldwide annual turnover.
How the case started
The Commission opened formal proceedings against Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos on 27 May 2025, focused on minor protection and age verification. On the same day it ended Stripchat's designation as a "very large online platform" (VLOP), because its EU user numbers had stayed below the threshold for a year. The VLOP-specific duties ceased four months later, and day-to-day supervision passed to Cyprus, where Stripchat's operator Technius Ltd is based. The proceedings on minors continued.
Stripchat had been designated in December 2023. In November 2025 Technius asked the EU General Court to annul that designation, arguing it relied on Similarweb traffic data later revised below the 45 million user threshold, and sought to recover its supervisory fee (XBIZ). We have not verified any court outcome in that case, so we do not report one here.
What it means for Stripchat users
Nothing changed overnight. Stripchat remains open, and the findings do not order a block. What may change is how EU visitors prove their age. Stripchat's privacy policy already refers to "trusted age verification providers" and says only an "age confirmation" is shared with affiliated sites to avoid repeat checks, but no public page lists where viewers must verify.
If the Commission's view stands, expect stronger checks for EU users than an 18+ click, likely from a third-party provider. If you care about how much data such a check shares, read our guide to cam site privacy before you verify. Country-level rules also apply; see cam sites in Germany for one example of how EU and national law interact.
What it means for models
The case is about viewers, not performers. Model verification (ID, selfie, documents) and Stripchat's payout of USD 0.05 per token are not affected by the findings. Separately, Stripchat's help center acknowledges that stripchat.com is blocked in some countries and gives models a broadcast-only mirror for that situation. Payout and tool details are in becoming a Stripchat model.
Related reading
- Stripchat review: features, prices and billing
- Stripchat alternatives if you want to compare other token sites
- UK age checks and the cam brands that committed, where Stripchat was named by Ofcom
- All updates on cam industry news
FAQ
Why is the EU investigating Stripchat?
Over minors' access to adult content. The Commission opened DSA proceedings in May 2025 and in March 2026 preliminarily found that Stripchat's age measures, such as a self-declared 18+ click, do not work.
Can Stripchat be fined?
Only if the Commission confirms the breach in a final decision. The DSA allows fines of up to 6% of worldwide annual turnover.
Is Stripchat still a very large online platform?
No. The Commission ended that designation on 27 May 2025 because Stripchat's EU users stayed below the threshold. The minor-protection proceedings continued anyway.
Sources we checked
Official pages read for this article (last check 2026-10-14). Links open the source site.