The European Union has introduced a new way to keep children off social media. It has unveiled a new app for age verification which is designed to keep children safe online and verifies users’ age with precision. This comes after some countries including Australia have banned users under 16 years of age from social media. While the legacy age-gating mechanism relies on users self-verifying that they are above 18, the new app requires real proof. It sets a new standard for age verification technology.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the app comes with the highest privacy standards in the world and works on any device. It is easy to use and fully open source.
“Online platforms can easily rely on our age verification app, so there are no more excuses. Europe offers a free and easy-to-use solution that can shield our children from harmful and illegal content,” she said on April 15.
How the app works
The app offers a different mechanism compared to legacy age verification systems. While existing systems rely on users self-certifying that they are above 18 by clicking a box, the new app requires users to provide legal identification, such as a passport, to set up the app.
It works across smartphones, tablets, and personal computers and provides a centralised, EU-backed tool for data security. The app is available on Android and iOS mobile devices. It requires a Google or Apple account and does not support de-Googled Android, desktops, or other platforms, as per reports.
How it will affect India
In India, while there is currently no ban on social media for children under 16, various state governments, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, have already proposed such restrictions.
This new app can provide governments with a new approach to keep children off social media by accurately predicting their age. Currently, in some countries like Australia, where social media is banned for users under 16, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are required to take reasonable steps, including removal of accounts, to prevent underage users from holding accounts.
In simple terms, platforms are responsible for verifying the age of users. These platforms currently use various signals, including users’ search history and posts they interact with, to predict their age.
The new app puts the onus of verification on users and provides a direct and accurate method for age verification.
However, the app may not be entirely new for India, as the country already has the MeriPehchaan app, which relies on users’ Aadhaar credentials to verify name, age, and other biometrics.
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