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PARIS — Martin Ajdari, president of French digital regulator Arcom, announced on Thursday that the agency will ramp up enforcement of age verification requirements under France’s SREN law. The remarks were delivered during a public event titled “Minors Online: What Risks, What Protections?”
Addressing regulators, members of Parliament, and industry leaders, Ajdari said Arcom will broaden its focus to include smaller adult platforms, with stricter enforcement measures potentially beginning in the coming months.
He also presented findings from a study commissioned by the regulator to “enable us to refine and strengthen our strategy, in a changing context marked by two events.”
“Between now and the end of 2025, we will be opening a dialogue with these platforms and inviting them to present us with their plans to comply with the measures I have just outlined,” Ajdari explained. He added that in early 2026, Arcom intends to question representatives from “major platforms” and begin “phase II of age verification checks on users of pornographic sites.”
“In this way, we are rolling out a new ambition, both in France and at [the] European level,” he told attendees.
Ajdari stressed that the regulator’s progress to date should motivate further action in cooperation with the French government, Parliament, and the European Commission. “We also need to think about how to adapt our law to technological developments and circumvention strategies,” he said.
By highlighting “circumvention strategies,” Ajdari signaled that Arcom is likely to address flaws in age verification rules, such as how blocks can be easily bypassed through virtual private networks (VPNs) or proxies.
France continues to face disputes with major adult platforms over the scope of the SREN law, particularly regarding enforcement against companies operating outside French borders. One ongoing case involves the parent companies of tube sites XVideos and XNXX, currently before the European Court of Justice. In a recent non-binding opinion, the Advocate General stated that France could apply the SREN law across national borders within the EU, provided the European Commission gives its approval.
