EU unveils age verification app as social media bans gain steam

The European Union has unveiled an app to confirm users’ age online, setting the standard for verification technology as more countries consider laws banning young teenagers from social media.  

“Online platforms can easily rely on our age verification app so there are no more excuses,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. “Europe offers a free and easy to use solution that can shield our children from harmful and illegal content.”  

The software was originally pitched as a way to prevent children from accessing obscene or harmful content online and comes as many EU members are debating restricting social media for minors. EU member states France and Greece have announced plans to pass measures banning younger teens from social media, pointing to studies on the sites’ addictiveness and harmful effects on minors. 

 

The open-source tool will require users to show legal identification, such as a passport, at set up and will work on phones, tablets and personal computers. It will also help coordinate age verification requirements across the EU, Von der Leyen said. 

The commission is coming under increased pressure from some member states to spearhead an EU-wide approach and prevent the trade bloc’s fragmentation into a patchwork of different restrictions. 

Von der Leyen has appointed a panel of experts to deliver recommendations this year. On Thursday, she is planning to attend a video call on social media bans convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. 

The age verification system or a tool with a comparable level of accuracy will be required for platforms that are already subject to EU child-protection regulations, such as websites hosting pornography. 

Four pornography websites are facing Digital Services Act probes for failing to keep children off their platforms, often because they relied on systems that let users verify their own ages. Fines under the DSA can reach as much as 6% of a company’s annual global sales.