The illustration platform Pixiv announced a new update to its content restrictions policy, which will go into effect on November 10, 2025. The change aims to comply with international laws and regulations, extending the application of their “Restrictions on healthy expression in specific countries and regions” to the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
More countries join content restrictions
According to the official statement, Pixiv will consolidate and rewrite the provisions that were previously detailed separately in each country or region, in order to improve their clarity. Likewise, it will add a clause on the limitation of access to certain jobs within applicable regions. The company emphasized that this adjustment does not expand the existing restrictions, but rather seeks to reflect them explicitly in the Terms of Use.
International pressure and changes in the industry
The decision is framed within the context of increased pressure from legislators and international payment processors to regulate adult content online. Companies like MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and Stripe have tightened their policies on what users can post or consume, which has affected sites like Pixiv, Patreon and even video game platforms like itch.io and Steam.
In 2023, Pixiv had already implemented similar measures to US and UK users. With this expansion, the scope of the restrictions becomes global, reflecting the trend of creative platforms to align with international compliance standards regarding explicit content.
Will Pixiv be able to maintain its balance between creative freedom and regulatory compliance as these policies expand?
