Europe Pushes Age-Verification System for Kids: Here’s How It Works

Supporters said the system balanced safety and privacy, while critics warned enforcement would be difficult and could expand digital ID requirements.

This photo illustration shows the social media platform X (former Twitter) app on a smartphone in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sept. 18, 2024. Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece are set to test what the European Union Commission calls its “blueprint” for an age verification app for children across the 27-member state bloc.

The app’s prototype was announced on July 14 alongside guidelines that online platforms are recommended to adopt to comply with the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).