EU Unveils New Age-Verification App to Protect Children Online

EU prepares to motorboat a caller age-verification app designed to support minors online portion keeping idiosyncratic information private. Credit: Flickr / Magicatwork / CC BY 2.0

EU is acceptable to rotation retired a caller integer safeguard for children online, unveiling a European age-verification app that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said is present “technically ready” and volition beryllium made disposable to citizens precise soon.

Speaking astir the initiative, von der Leyen described the existent online situation for minors arsenic profoundly troubling, pointing to cyberbullying, addictive level plan and vulnerability to harmful contented arsenic regular risks for children and teenagers.

How the EU’s Age-Verification app volition work

The app is designed to let users to beryllium their property erstwhile accessing platforms oregon services with property restrictions, without disclosing idiosyncratic data.

Von der Leyen compared the process to showing an ID erstwhile buying alcohol. Users volition beryllium capable to corroborate that they conscionable an property request without sharing delicate idiosyncratic accusation with the level itself.

The strategy is expected to travel a elemental process modeled connected the integer tools utilized during the pandemic, peculiarly the Covid certificate. According to the Commission’s outline, users volition download the app, activate it utilizing an individuality paper oregon passport, and past usage an age-verification credential each clip they request to entree restricted contented oregon services.

It is for parents to rise their children. Not platforms.

The European Age Verification App is acceptable ↓ https://t.co/EumEPEJOI7

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 15, 2026

Privacy astatine the halfway of the plan

Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen placed peculiar accent connected privateness protections, stressing that platforms volition not summation entree to delicate idiosyncratic data.

According to the Commission, the app volition beryllium anonymous and non-traceable, compatible with each devices, and based connected open-source standards. Officials are besides presenting it arsenic a applicable continuation of the exemplary utilized during the pandemic, erstwhile the EU’s Covid certificate infrastructure was deployed rapidly and adopted widely.

Von der Leyen recalled that the Covid app was developed successful 3 months and utilized successful 78 countries, arguing that the caller age-verification instrumentality is built connected the aforesaid principles of velocity and interoperability. She added that the strategy could besides beryllium deployed beyond the European Union.

Why Greece and different countries are pushing for speed

Greece, Spain and Cyprus person been among the countries calling for faster action, reflecting increasing interest implicit however to amended support minors successful integer environments.

At the aforesaid time, 7 EU subordinate states, including Greece, France, Italy and Denmark, are readying to integrate the app into their nationalist integer wallets. Von der Leyen described those countries arsenic pioneers, saying they are astatine the forefront of implementation and volition service arsenic pilots for a broader EU-wide rollout.

Pressure is besides rising astatine the governmental level. French President Emmanuel Macron is convening a videoconference time with leaders from countries including Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, with Greece besides expected to instrumentality part. The extremity is to signifier a communal European presumption connected limiting minors’ entree to societal media platforms.

Paris is besides pushing for a unified property threshold crossed the EU, expanding unit connected the Commission to determination much quickly.

EU Age-Verification app enters adjacent signifier nether the DSA

The app is portion of a broader propulsion for stricter oversight nether the Digital Services Act. Virkkunen warned that Europe volition not tolerate platforms making wealth astatine the disbursal of children, referring to ongoing interventions targeting large companies implicit addictive plan practices and insufficient child-safety measures.

In parallel, the Commission is moving to make a European coordination mechanics aimed astatine ensuring accordant implementation crossed the bloc and preventing further fragmentation arsenic subordinate states prosecute antithetic rules and approaches.

Virkkunen said the EU indispensable debar ending up with 27 abstracted solutions and alternatively determination toward 1 communal European approach. The Commission has already assembled a radical of experts, archetypal announced by von der Leyen past September, who are expected to contiguous factual recommendations to EU subordinate states by the summer.