France has taken a strong stance in the fight to protect children from harmful online content, blocking four major pornographic websites on November 15.
This decisive move follows an October ruling from the Paris Court of Appeal, which ordered the sites’ removal after they failed to comply with the country’s age verification laws. Since 2020, France has mandated that adult websites implement strict, reliable age checks—something many sites have deliberately ignored.
The case was brought by child protection groups, La Voix de l’enfant and e-Enfance, who rightly argue that the safety and well-being of children should be prioritized over vague concerns about free speech. As a result, four non-EU sites were blocked, with three of France’s major telecom providers—SFR, Bouygues, and Orange—completing the action, while Free has yet to comply.
These child protection groups are not seeking to eliminate pornography entirely, but rather to ensure that children aren’t exposed to it at such a vulnerable age. According to France’s audiovisual regulator, Arcom, 2.3 million minors visit porn sites each month, and more than half of boys aged 12 and up view this content regularly. Arcom suggests using credit card details to verify age, though concerns about phishing remain valid. Justine Atlan of e-Enfance points out, “Today, 100% of minors have access to pornography. So if tomorrow there were only 50%, that would be a major step forward.”
While only four sites have been blocked so far, authorities are now turning their attention to larger platforms such as Pornhub and YouPorn. These sites, hosted within the EU, are temporarily exempt as the European Court of Justice evaluates whether blocking them violates EU laws on free movement of services. The French courts are waiting for this ruling before taking further action.
