Overview

• From June 3, the sites have gone dark in France and now display a Marianne motif proclaiming that freedom has no off switch.
• The 2025 law compels adult platforms to verify users’ age via credit cards or official IDs or face fines and potential blocking by ARCOM.
• Parent company Aylo calls the rules disproportionate and warns they risk user privacy, proposing that device makers like Google or Apple handle age checks.
• Minister Aurore Bergé praised the blackout as a way to curb minors’ access to harmful material and affirmed the government’s refusal to reverse course.
• The European Commission has launched an investigation under the Digital Services Act into whether these platforms have implemented sufficient age-verification measures.