France: Order designating adult websites established in the EU as subject to age verification rules under the Law on Securing and Regulating the Digital Space entered into force with grace period

On 6 March 2025, the order adopted on 26 February 2025 designating EU-based pornographic websites as subject to France’s age verification rules was published in the Official Journal of the French Republic, formally setting in motion the 3 month implementation timeline provided for in Article 10-2 of the amended Law No. 2004-575 of 21 June 2004 on confidence in the digital economy (LCEN Law). This publication marked the start of the legal countdown following the completion of the notification procedure required by Article 3(4)(b) of Directive 2000/31/EC. From this point, named platforms providing access to pornographic content, including Pornhub, XVideos, and other services established in EU Member States, were formally placed under the obligation to comply with France’s age verification framework introduced by the Law on Securing and Regulating the Digital Space (SREN Law).