Almost one in two Europeans would support banning the social media platform X from the European Union if it continues to breach EU rules, according to new polling conducted across five major member states.
The YouGov survey, carried out in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland, found that 47 percent of respondents would back a potential ban if the Elon Musk-owned platform fails to comply with European digital regulations.
Growing frustration over compliance
Between 60 and 78 percent of respondents in each country said the EU should take further action against X if it does not address breaches previously identified by the European Commission.
Among those calling for additional measures, a majority ranging from 62 to 73 percent said the platform should be banned outright if it refuses to comply. Overall, nearly half of all respondents supported such a move.
The findings come after the European Commission fined X €120 million on 5 December last year under the Digital Services Act for failing to meet transparency obligations.
Transparency and advertising concerns
At the centre of the Commission’s investigation was the platform’s blue checkmark system. Once used to verify official accounts free of charge, the badge is now sold for €7 per month, raising concerns about user confusion over account authenticity.
The Commission also concluded that X had failed to comply with advertising transparency requirements, blurring the line between paid promotions and other content and potentially exposing users to financial scams. The company was given 90 working days to respond.
Since then, both the platform and its AI assistant Grok have faced additional scrutiny over allegations of amplifying harmful material, including deepfake pornography and child sexual abuse content.
French prosecutors last week raided X’s Paris office as part of an ongoing investigation into child abuse content.
Public appetite for stronger enforcement
According to the YouGov data, 70 percent of respondents would support repercussions if X fails to respond adequately to the Commission’s fine.
Among those favouring action:
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Between 17 and 28 percent supported imposing further fines.
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Between 23 and 29 percent supported banning the platform outright.
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The largest share, between 40 and 52 percent, said the EU should both fine and ban the service.
Ava Lee, executive director of People vs Big Tech, a coalition of 149 civil society organisations, said the polling showed that public patience is wearing thin.
“Europeans are done with empty warnings. X has been fined, investigated, and given every opportunity to comply,” she said, adding that EU lawmakers now have an opportunity to set a precedent for how Big Tech platforms are treated under European law.
Despite the strong support reflected in the survey, banning a major platform would be considered an extreme measure under EU law. The Commission has not indicated that it is currently considering such a step.
Wider debate on social media restrictions
The poll comes amid broader political debate across Europe over social media regulation.
Spain, France, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom are considering stricter limits on minors’ access to social media in response to concerns over illegal and harmful content.
In December 2025, Australia introduced some of the world’s strictest social media restrictions for under-16s, resulting in the removal of millions of underage accounts. However, early reports suggest that many minors continue to access banned apps through simple workarounds, and researchers caution that it is too soon to judge the policy’s effectiveness.
Professor Kathryn Modecki of the University of Western Australia said policymakers should wait for longer-term data before drawing conclusions about the impact of such bans.
The YouGov findings suggest that, at least in the case of X, European public opinion is increasingly prepared to contemplate far-reaching measures if platforms are seen to repeatedly ignore EU rules.
Source: Euronews