We are closely following ongoing policy developments around pornography within the European Union and express deep concern over the lack of meaningful representation of sex workers and performers in these discussions. Once again, decisions that directly affect the lives, safety, and livelihoods of those working within the industry are being made without their voices at the table.
We recognise that policymakers are finally taking the porn industry seriously as a step in the right direction. However, the current discourse surrounding pornography is increasingly shaped by harmful narratives, misinformation, and reductive approaches that risk causing more harm than protection.
While these policy efforts are often framed as safeguarding the public, particularly minors, they are frequently based on flawed assumptions and misguided solutions that will not result in the protection of minors. In fact, they stand to do the opposite by deepening discrimination.
We urge EU policymakers, activists, and the media to move away from stigma-driven narratives and towards inclusive, rights-based policymaking grounded in the lived realities of sex workers.
At the moment, we see several deeply concerning trends emerging:
The prioritisation of technological “solutions” to non-technological problems.
Current EU efforts, such as investigations focused on age verification mechanisms, place disproportionate faith in technological fixes to complex social issues. Age verification systems are insufficient as a tool to protect minors and can be easily bypassed, they also introduce serious risks related to privacy, data security, and surveillance.
Protecting young people online requires comprehensive, education-based approaches, not intrusive systems that compromise the rights and safety of all users, including sex workers.
The pathologisation of pornography and spreading of misinformation.
We are alarmed by the increasing rhetoric that frames pornography as inherently harmful, often invoking discredited concepts such as “porn addiction.” These narratives are not grounded in scientific consensus and contribute to stigma, shame, and moral panic rather than informed, constructive dialogue.
This kind of framing obscures the diversity of experiences within the pornography industry and erases the agency of workers, many of whom engage in this work consensually and intentionally.
The erasure of voices and agency of porn performers.
Reductionist narratives that portray pornography solely as violence strip performers of our agency and fail to acknowledge our lived realities. Policies shaped by such narratives are inherently paternalistic, claiming to “protect” individuals while refusing to listen to them.
This approach not only misrepresents the industry but actively harms those within it by reinforcing stigma and limiting access to support, justice, and resources.
The misrepresentation of real harm within the industry.
While public discourse focuses on exaggerated or misleading harms, the very real issues affecting performers remain overlooked or misunderstood. Many platforms continue to profit from sex workers’ labour, bodies, and likeness while denying them meaningful control over our content and working conditions.
For example, the piracy and non-consensual distribution of content is often treated merely as a matter of copyright infringement. In reality, it constitutes a form of abuse. Consent is at the absolute centre of porn performers’ work. We have the right to determine how, where, and with whom our content is shared. When that control is violated, it is not only an economic harm but a direct attack on our autonomy and dignity.
Yet sex workers are routinely denied recognition as “valid victims” when these violations occur, precisely because of the stigma attached to our work.
The risk of curtailing sexual expression and misunderstanding consent.
Efforts to regulate pornography are increasingly entangled with attempts to restrict sexual expression more broadly. Policies that criminalise or stigmatise consensual sexual practices demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of human sexuality and consent, and risk infringing on personal freedoms. It also fails to acknowledge that when sex workers are censored, this censorship spills over and has an impact on other marginalised groups, ultimately undermining the sexual freedom of all.
The failure to address emerging harms such as AI-generated content responsibly.
The rise of AI-generated sexualised content, including deepfakes, presents urgent challenges. However, current narratives often fall into the same reductionist patterns, focusing on moral panic rather than solutions.
In many cases, performers’ bodies and content are scraped and used without consent to train AI systems, resulting in new forms of exploitation. Addressing this requires centring consent, ownership, and control, not broad censorship or further marginalisation of sex workers.
At the same time, the focus of prohibition around certain kinds of output is insufficient. AI-generated content can be created with the consent and control of those whose images are used to generate it. We need to focus on consent rather than materials being synthetic or not.
What we need instead: ESWA’s position on pornography and online safety
A safer, more responsible, and inclusive approach to pornography is possible and necessary. Such an approach would:
- Decriminalise sex work and pornography;
- Centre sex workers and porn performers in all policy discussions that affect them;
- Invest in porn literacy and comprehensive sexuality education that is focused on consent, pleasure and autonomy;
- Provide accessible tools for content control, including effective takedown mechanisms and protections against piracy and non-consensual distribution of imagery;
- Ensure access to mental health and legal support for those experiencing abuse and exploitation;
- Develop rights-based frameworks for addressing emerging technologies such as AI-generated content;
- Focus on harm reduction, not moral regulation or censorship.
A more nuanced, evidence-based approach to pornography will make the internet safer for everyone, without sacrificing the rights, dignity, and autonomy of those working within the industry.
We urge EU policymakers, activists, and the media to move away from stigma-driven narratives and towards inclusive, rights-based policymaking grounded in the lived realities of sex workers.
Sex workers’ rights are human rights. Our expertise is indispensable. Our voices must be heard.
Respectfully,
European Sex Workers Rights Alliance
April/2026
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