Response to interpellation 2024/25:712 on protection against harmful online pornography
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns protection against harmful online pornography. KD argues that the EU's Digital Services Act is an important tool for identifying systemic risks and protecting children 1. KD emphasizes that international cooperation is necessary 2 and is open to age verification via a European digital identity wallet with respect for privacy 2. KD considers it important to discuss the issue and that more knowledge is needed regarding the impact of pornography on society 3. KD argues that age verification is a live issue within the EU 3. S argues that online pornography normalizes violence 4. S wants to introduce age controls 5 and that authorities act more actively 4. S considers that the government should investigate the consequences of pornography 6. S emphasizes that pornography criticism should be in the curriculum 6 and that age verification has a strong signaling value 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! Åsa Eriksson has asked me what I intend to do to protect children from harmful online pornography.
Article 28 of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) specifically aims to protect children and young people. In addition, there are requirements in the same regulation that the large digital platforms, which include several pornographic platforms, must carefully identify, analyze, and assess all potential systemic risks arising from the design or use of their services. This includes any actual or foreseeable negative effects regarding gender-based violence, protection of public health and protection of minors, and serious negative consequences for individuals' physical and mental well-being.
The Digital Services Act has now been in force for a little over a year and has begun to yield results. For example, at the end of May 2025, the Commission initiated investigations against four pornographic platforms on suspicion that they have violated the regulation regarding the protection of children and young people.
Furthermore, the European Commission, after consultation with the European Board for Digital Services, presented recommendations on May 13, 2025, to further strengthen the protection of children and young people online. The recommendations include, among other things, child-friendly reporting channels and user support, as well as measures to reduce exposure to harmful content. The European Board for Digital Services handles issues related to the DSA, and all member states as well as the European Commission are represented in the board.
Furthermore, the Polish presidency has presented council conclusions on protecting the mental health of children and young people linked to digitalization and in these urged the member states and the Commission to take a number of protective measures to ensure the health and safety of children and young people in digital environments.
In the Radio and Television Act (2010:696), there are rules on the protection of children that apply to so-called video-sharing platforms. According to the Radio and Television Act, a provider of a video-sharing platform shall take appropriate measures so that content containing realistic depictions of violence or pornographic images is not provided in such a way that there is a significant risk that children can see this, unless it is nevertheless justifiable for special reasons. Such measures may consist of introducing age or parental control systems as well as systems for users to flag and report certain content. The Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority has the supervisory responsibility to ensure that the providers take such measures.
There are also initiatives regarding age verification in several other EU countries, which the government is monitoring and following the developments around.
Protecting the health and well-being of children and young people is of utmost importance, and the government is actively working both nationally and at the EU level to strengthen the protection of children and young people online – not least in the European Committee for Digital Services and its working groups, where the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, the Swedish Media Council, and the Swedish Consumer Agency participate on behalf of Sweden.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you to the Minister for the answer!
I want to start by providing some background to this debate.
The predominant part of online pornography contains physical aggression, incest, and verbal violence. A part of the pornography is directed directly at children through games and cartoons, and not infrequently it is also young people who are exploited in the films.
Madam Speaker! Pornography has an impact. The violence and the degradation of women that occur in pornography do not only affect future sexual behaviors in children and young people, but also normalize a frightening view of women that runs counter to our strive for an equal society where everyone, regardless of gender, is respected.
Madam Speaker! Pornography moves boundaries for what viewers get excited about and how they treat others sexually. This is well-documented in research. It normalizes violence and abuse while simultaneously building expectations of how sex should be – expectations that increase the pressure to comply with things that do not feel okay. Nine out of ten scenes contain physical or verbal aggression, and what was previously perceived as extreme porn is today normal porn. And virtually all children and young people in Sweden today have access to a smartphone where this content exists, completely unfiltered and completely without requirements for age verification.
Madam Speaker! Regular consumption of pornography online, especially violent pornography, is linked to an increased risk of sexual coercion and abuse in close relationships. It also leads to stereotypical and disparaging perceptions of gender and sexuality, which normalizes dominating or exercising control over a partner.
In conversations with Unizon's counselors, many girls tell that their partners are violent when they have sex. They experience that porn teaches guys that their will is the norm and that if girls just keep quiet and let it happen, it is okay. This is therefore everyday life for many young people in Sweden today – the vast majority, I would like to assert.
Madam Speaker! Minister Erik Slottner has been Minister for Digitalization for nearly three years. During that time, the problems have only increased, so I wonder what Erik Slottner has actually done about the issue.
The answer he just gave touched upon many good things that the EU has done. We really need to regulate the platforms at the EU level; that is by far the most effective. But to achieve what the Digital Services Act stipulates and to achieve all the fine and good things that the Minister counted out in his answer and which are already regulated in law, Swedish authorities must act. Unfortunately, we see nothing of that today. The Minister's answer falters significantly there, I believe.
I would therefore like to hear what measures the Minister has taken in Sweden, through Swedish authorities, and what they have led to.
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! I agree with the problem picture that Åsa Eriksson describes here. That is what I really want to say.
There is a lot of harmful content on the internet that can distort the brains of not only young people but also many adults and that affects behaviors. The content on pornographic platforms is one example, but there is much other harmful and violent content and other expressions that I do not believe are good for people generally and especially not for children and young people.
That is also why Social Minister Jakob Forssmed has taken many measures through his agencies, both Socialstyrelsen and Folkhälsomyndigheten, regarding for example guidelines for screen time in order to minimize the risks and harms that excessive screen time can create.
When it comes to the supervision of harmful content, we need to work internationally, because very few of these platforms, so to speak, have their home bases in Sweden. This makes it many times more difficult for Swedish authorities to act and carry out supervision. We need to work internationally, and that is why it is incredibly welcome that the EU has developed the Digital Services Act. It has been in place for just over a year, and we are now beginning to see a fairly large effect from it. Among other things, four large platforms with pornographic content are now under supervision precisely because they have violated the content of the Digital Services Act.
Speaking of international cooperation, I also want to say that there is now a discussion about this and that this is an important issue when I meet my ministerial colleagues. Age verification is an issue that has been highlighted. I know that my State Secretary colleague Jakob Forssmed has also raised this. We are very open to age verification. It is just a matter of finding a model that does not create other problems regarding privacy and the protection of children and young people. It is a matter of finding an age verification that is legally secure and that also respects children and young people and their privacy.
I can say that the development of a common European digital identity wallet could be a way to create a common system for age verification within the Union. It is, however, a bit too early to be able to give a clear position on that issue, but we are definitely open to being able to move forward with it.
Åsa Eriksson argues in her interpellation to me that PTS is doing nothing. This is because PTS is responsible for online platforms that primarily have their base in Sweden and which have fewer than 45 million unique users. The four platforms that are now under scrutiny within the framework of the Digital Services Act, i.e., DSA, have more than 45 million unique users. They are therefore the responsibility of the EU Commission. We will have to see what this review and supervision will conclude. I truly hope that it can conclude something substantial, so that it sets a kind of benchmark and guideline for other platforms.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Madam Speaker and Minister! I was very pleased to hear that the government is open to age verification, because I truly believe that it is a path we must take. It is absolutely not the entire solution, and there is much else that must also be done, but I am completely convinced that it would have a very great signal value.
Studies show that the type of pornography that young boys primarily come into contact with almost always contains violence. However, they rarely perceive this content as violence themselves. Among the most common acts are those that one hardly wants to speak of: the man strangling the woman with his penis, strangulations, the man first penetrating the woman anally and then immediately orally, as well as various types of hitting. These are, therefore, the most common acts in ordinary free mainstream porn.
In principle, all this humiliation, this aggression, and these violent acts are committed by men against girls and women. The most common reactions from the girls and women to this humiliation are – as it appears in the films, at least – neutral or positive. The message to the viewer is thus that humiliating, aggressive, and violent sexualized acts enhance sexual pleasure for both men and women. What does that contribute to in terms of types of sexual relations?
I am, as I have said, very pleased that the Minister also sees the problem and wants to do something about it. However, we have so far not seen any result of this.
According to the Data Inspectorate, the State Media Council, and the Children's Ombudsman, measures are required so that video-sharing platforms take appropriate actions so that films containing depictions of violence or pornographic images are not provided in such a way that there is a significant risk that children will see them. Nevertheless, this happens every day, all year round, around the clock.
Madam Speaker! We Social Democrats believe that the situation is unacceptable. At our party congress, after a long debate, we have decided to work for the introduction of age checks on pornographic websites. The focus shall particularly be on limiting children's access to violence-glorifying pornography.
We realize that this will not solve the entire problem, but we believe it is an important step to take – not least to protect the smallest children, who can end up on these types of pages by mistake. It also has an incredibly important signaling value. The adult world must wake up.
The Minister stated in his response that the DSA has begun to yield results. I think that sounds good, but I want to hear which results the Minister means that we can report to Swedish internet users. Is it true that today fewer children have access to violence porn? Have any platforms been forced to remove material or shut down, or can the Minister point to other results?
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! Regarding the last, direct question from Åsa Eriksson, I have no statistics on the proportion of children who have access to this material and do not. I actually cannot answer that on the spot.
Regarding the DSA, it is, as said, quite new. It has existed for just over a year, and many of these supervisory cases take longer. We will have to see what the result will be. The supervision of precisely these four platforms that have pornographic content is currently ongoing.
I do not know what the EU Commission will come to, but the EU Commission can, in the extreme, make decisions to shut down platforms. It should be said that it is very far-reaching, but the possibility exists theoretically at least. Otherwise, it is fines.
I would say that the tools available within the DSA are so powerful that they create very large signals to the platforms if they are used. I really hope that this will lead to them thinking about it once and twice – if I express myself mildly – when it comes to what type of material they actually publish. They must take responsibility for the material they publish and for which audience they are addressing.
I am also, not least, very concerned about the view of women and the view of sex and cohabitation that this type of material conveys – very much to young boys, but also to girls. I truly share that image.
This also places even greater demands on how parents talk to their children about these issues and, not least, on the school's sex and relationship education. It must also in some way be adapted based on this relatively new reality of the extreme accessibility to pornography that exists today.
I mentioned that Social Minister Jakob Forssmed has taken many initiatives regarding screen time in general. This is part of the harmful content that Forssmed views with great concern. I know that even my cabinet colleague, Equality Minister Nina Larsson, is very engaged in the issue of what view of women pornography creates, among boys and young men in particular.
Several parts of the government are involved in this issue from their different perspectives, different legislations, and different agencies. That is why it sometimes becomes difficult. This is an interdepartmental issue. Many cabinet ministers are involved from different angles. That means the issue could certainly go somewhere else and the debate could get other perspectives and angles if other cabinet ministers were involved in it.
Now, however, it is I who must answer that specific question. Regarding my area of responsibility, it is primarily the Digital Services Act and the age verification we are now working on within the EU that I can answer for – and I have done so.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Madam Speaker! I can start where the Minister began. This is truly an issue that involves many different portfolios and parts of the government's work. I have previously debated approximately the same issue with both the Minister for Culture and the Minister for Gender Equality. I will also continue to interpellate more Ministers.
As a tip, I can say that the government would welcome it if we push that we need an investigation into the consequences and harmful effects of pornography on society, as well as what we can collectively do about this. I believe it would be good to take a holistic approach.
Madam Speaker! The Minister mentioned the school. The school truly has an important role; that was why we amended the curriculum when we were in government so that it is clear today that one should work with pornography criticism in all subjects. I am very proud of that, but I am also worried that there is currently an investigation suggesting that this should be removed from the curriculum. The Minister may therefore gladly raise at government meetings that it would be very unfortunate.
Finally, I want to address this issue of signaling value, which the Minister touched upon. I am completely convinced that it is very strong if one introduces age verification. I would like to refer to a meeting I had on Wednesday evening with American women's organizations, who told me about a number of states that have introduced age limits on exactly sites with violent pornographic content, and where viewing has decreased drastically even among adults – in some states by as much as 80 percent – on Pornhub.
It is therefore very clear that it is not only children that are protected if one steps in and regulates. I believe instead that it would have a major effect also on adults' viewing, which would be very good not least for the women who are exploited when porn is produced.
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! I must thank Åsa Eriksson for raising the issue here, and also with several ministers. I truly think it is an important issue to take up and discuss.
I always welcome more knowledge, even though I believe we already have quite a lot of knowledge about what impact pornography has on society and what harm it causes. This applies, of course, to both those who participate in the industry itself and, not least, boys and young men. But we may need more knowledge on this, not least against the background of how incredibly much more accessible and how much coarser pornography is today compared to a few years ago.
I have accounted for this within my area of responsibility, which primarily concerns the responsibility of digital platforms to combat harmful content, the Digital Services Act, and the supervision that is now taking place from the EU Commission. I have also stated that age verification is a live issue within the entire EU. I also believe that it is within the EU that we need to take these measures; I believe it would be unfortunate if every country started getting its own national rules regarding this.
It should be said that age verification is complicated. It needs to be done in such a way that we also protect the privacy of young people regarding traceability and other matters, so it is legally complicated. Even legally complicated issues have been solved previously, but I still think we should say it. One can be principled about this, but it is a matter of finding a system that works. I would say that the issue is live among many EU countries, and Sweden has in no way closed the door on this.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.