Bundesnetzagentur welcomes EU Commission’s DSA proceedings against Snapchat and pornographic platforms
Year of issue 2026
Date of issue 2026.03.26
The Digital Services Coordinator at the Bundesnetzagentur (DSC) welcomes the steps announced today by the European Commission against online platforms to enforce compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA) with respect to the protection of children and young people.
“We welcome the steps announced today by the European Commission against Snapchat and four pornographic platforms for the protection of children and young people. We are pleased that we are able to make an important contribution from Germany. Close cooperation with European and national authorities, in particular with the state media authorities and the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media in the area of youth protection, is giving the enforcement of the DSA a significant boost. Together we are ensuring that platforms comply with the requirements of the DSA
,” said Johannes Heidelberger, Head of the Digital Services Coordinator at the Bundesnetzagentur.
The European Commission has today opened formal proceedings under the DSA against Snapchat and has also published preliminary findings in four proceedings currently taking place against the pornographic platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos. All the proceedings concern the protection of children and young people when using online services. The proceedings against Snapchat were initiated by the Dutch DSC. The steps taken do not represent the final decisions.
Youth protection a main concern of the DSA
The investigations into Snapchat, an app that is particularly popular with children and young people, are focusing on its age assurance system and design, which makes it possible to contact minors for the purpose of sexual exploitation or recruitment for criminal activities, as well as to distribute illegal content, which includes the sale of drugs and vapes to minors.
In its provisional decisions against PornHub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos, the European Commission determined that these pornographic platforms have not taken sufficient steps to prevent minors from gaining access to their services or in implementing age verification, and thus have violated the provisions of the DSA on the protection of minors.
The DSC at the Bundesnetzagentur is supporting the European Commission in its proceedings, partly by gathering information from national authorities and other stakeholders. The German state media authorities have made an important contribution to the proceedings against Snapchat and the pornographic platforms by providing numerous references and information for the investigations.
In its investigations the European Commission has followed the guidelines on the protection of minors that were published in summer 2025 with the aim of increasing online safety for children and young people within the scope of the DSA. These set forth the statutory rules under the DSA to ensure a safe online experience for children and young people.
More information on the proceedings of the European Commission can be found at Press corner | European Commission and Commission investigates Snapchat's compliance with child protection rules under the Digital Services Act | Shaping Europe’s digital future.
Tasks of the Digital Services Coordinator at the Bundesnetzagentur
The DSC, based at the Bundesnetzagentur, is the central coordinating body for enforcement of the DSA in Germany. It monitors intermediary services, including online platforms, for compliance with their obligations. It acts as a central point for complaints from online users about infringements of the DSA and coordinates cooperation between competent authorities in Germany and the EU. The DSC certifies out-of-court dispute settlement bodies and trusted flaggers. It handles applications by researchers to gain access to the data of VLOPs and VLOSEs.
In its enforcement of the DSA, the DSC works together with the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ), the media authorities of the federal states, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), the European Commission and the DSCs of other Member States.
Further information about the DSC is available (in German) at www.dsc.bund.de.