{
  "id": 8832826,
  "title": "How the EU's age-verification app for children would work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/how-the-eus-age-verification-app-for-children-would-work",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-21T03:54:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2026/09/1537418/how-eus-age-verification-app-children-would-work"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nVon 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.",
  "summary": "THE European Commission proposed on Thursday banning children under 13 from social media, with parent-supervised accounts until 15.",
  "key_points": [
    "EU proposes age-verification app for children under 13 on social media.",
    "App to be available across all 27 member states by end of 2026.",
    "Decentralized system with designated issuers verifying users' ages."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The proposed EU age-verification app represents a regulatory shift, centralizing age checks under a unified system and potentially setting a precedent for other countries, while altering how social media platforms operate in Europe.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}