EU Commission launches online age verification app for kids

A new digital age check is being launched to prevent children and young people in the EU from accessing pornography and other age-inappropriate content on the internet.

The European Commission is testing a prototype of an age verification app which will initially be rolled out in Denmark, France, Spain, Greece and Italy, the Commission said in a statement on Monday.

Verification should make it possible to anonymously check the age of users without storing personal data such as their name or date of birth.

The long-term plan is to integrate the technology into the digital EU ID card (eID) - a type of official online proof of identity that will be available from the end of 2026.

Denmark wants to drive the issue forward during its EU Council Presidency.

"Children deserve a safe digital childhood. This is one of the main priorities for me during the Danish Presidency. Without proper age verification, we fail to protect children online," said Caroline Stage Olsen, Denmark's minister for Digital Affairs.

The commission has also published new guidelines to help platforms protect minors. It proposes that children's profiles are set to private by default and can only be seen by confirmed contacts.

Functions that encourage addictive behaviour - such as "streaks" in online games, which are designed to enforce daily app use through reward systems - are to be deactivated for minors.

The new measures are part of the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes stricter requirements on large internet platforms to protect their users.

Several EU countries are also pushing for a standardized age limit for access to social media.