France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece are preparing to test a new age verification system as part of the EU’s push to regulate how children access online content. Here are the details.
The pilot program, announced by the European Commission on Monday (via Reuters), is built on the same technical standards as the upcoming European Digital Identity Wallet, which is set to launch across the EU next year.
The move comes alongside new EU guidelines aimed at helping platforms comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which, in the EC’s own words, has 2 main goals:
- To create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected
- To establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally.
To that end, the legislation aims to hold 19 online platforms (including Meta, TikTok, and X) accountable for limiting children’s exposure to harmful content, addressing addictive design features, and preventing cyberbullying.
As for the age verification pilot, each participating country will be able to customize the age-checking tool to fit its national requirements, either integrating it into an existing digital ID app, or deploying it as a standalone solution.
The goal, however, is the same: to offer a trusted, privacy-preserving way to verify a user’s age online, without revealing unnecessary personal data.
The EU’s age verification push parallels a growing wave of legislation around the world
In the U.S., several states have passed similar laws requiring platforms to implement age gating or obtain parental consent for users under 18. Some states are putting that responsibility on the platforms themselves, while others are shifting the pressure to app stores, treating them as the enforcement checkpoint.
Apple, for its part, recently rolled out new child safety features in an attempt to ease concerns and possibly head off further regulation of the App Store. Despite those efforts, however, momentum for age verification laws doesn’t seem to be slowing on either side of the Atlantic, and beyond.
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