EU Testing Age Verification App Prototype for Online Child Protection

If you are a parent living in the EU and worry about your kids’ online presence, this news is for you. The European Union (EU) has released a blueprint for age-verification apps in countries like Spain, France, Greece, and Italy. The Commission says this blueprint makes it easier for online platforms to comply with the rules aimed at protecting minors. 

EU will test age verification app prototype to safeguard minors online

Yesterday, the EU also released the age verification app prototype with guidelines that online platforms should adopt to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Speaking about the age verification app, the EU’s tech policy leader, Henna Virkkunen, says, “Making sure our children and young people are safe online is of paramount importance to this Commission. The guidelines on the protection of minors for online platforms, combined with the new age verification blueprint, are a huge step forward in this regard. Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk.”

The age verification app allows users to prove that they are over 18 years, especially when accessing adult content online. These apps help the EU track online platforms that fail to meet their obligations towards minors under the DSA. The EU also expects the companies to adopt its age verification tools instead of their own.

The regulatory body further noted that users will have full control over the data used for verification. That’s not all; the content they view post-verification will remain private. The EU also says it’ll collaborate with Member States, online platforms, and users to test the age verification app’s prototype. Countries like Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy aim to launch national age verification apps soon.

Not to forget, the upcoming age verification apps are a temporary solution for now. The EU Digital Identity Wallet, which might launch in 2026, will replace these age verification apps. The Digital Identity Wallet aims to offer European citizens and businesses to prove their identity when accessing digital services. 

The regulatory body expects online platforms to do their bit

The EU further expects websites and online platforms to protect the “health, physical, mental, and moral development” of minors using their services. It also said that they should be able to provide minors with the “highest level of privacy, safety, and security.” All in all, the new age guidance urges online platforms to protect minors from harmful content, cyberbullying, and other things.