How the EU's age-verification app for children would work

The European Commission has proposed banning children under 13 from using social media platforms, with a parent-supervised account option until the age of 15. To enforce this, the EU has developed a free, open-source age verification app. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that the proposal drew inspiration from Australia's policy, which banned social media for users under 16 last year.

The app, unveiled in April 2026, will be made available across all 27 member states by the end of the same year. It will also be used to verify users over the age of 18 when accessing adult content, a regulation already in place under the Digital Services Act. Violations of the age restrictions would be handled under the Digital Services Act's enforcement, with penalties capped at six percent of a company's global turnover.

The app operates on a decentralized system. Member states designate issuers, such as digital ID providers, banks, or post offices, to verify users' ages. Users prove their age once to a designated issuer, who then sends a yes-or-no response to the platform. The issuer does not learn which service the proof was used for, and the proof can only be used once, preventing cross-service tracking. The code is open-source, enabling independent review of its functionality.

Von der Leyen emphasized the significance of the EU's approach in providing a unified age verification mechanism, eliminating the need for individual platforms to create and enforce their own systems. The proposal still requires approval from EU member states and the European Parliament before becoming law. Greece, Spain, and France are among the countries contemplating similar bans, while France's constitutional council recently blocked a national under-15 ban, citing concerns over freedom of expression.