To Enforce Its Proposed Social Media Ban for 450 Million Pre-Teens, EU Builds an Open Source App

The European Commission has proposed a ban on social media access for children under 13, with parent-supervised accounts allowed until age 15. The proposed Kids Act would affect 450 million individuals across 27 countries, making it the world's largest social media access restriction. To enforce this ban, Brussels has developed an open-source age verification smartphone app.

This app confirms whether a user meets age requirements without revealing their identity. Member states will implement the app, with seven countries currently selected for testing: Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. The Commission aims to make EU-wide availability available by the end of 2026. The system is decentralized, with designated issuers in each member state, such as digital ID providers, banks, or post offices, responsible for issuing and verifying age proofs.

These proofs are used at restricted sites, with platforms only receiving a yes-or-no response. The issuance and verification processes involve separate entities, ensuring no central EU database of ages or verification records. The app's code is open-source, enabling independent scrutiny. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the proposal offers a common age-verification mechanism, eliminating excuses for platforms to develop and enforce their own systems.

Compliance with this proposal is mandatory, with potential fines of up to 6% of a company's global annual sales for non-compliance. The EU's initiative follows similar efforts in several other countries, including Australia, Britain, China, India, Turkey, and several European Union nations.