In July, the European Union will launch a new age-verification application that should contribute to more effective enforcement of the rules for the protection of minors on the Internet. About this informs Financial Times.
The new app will be the forerunner of the EU’s digital identity wallet, which is scheduled to launch in 2026. Thanks to the application, users will be able to verify their age without revealing their personal data to online platforms.
Although the EU has not yet introduced uniform standards for age verification, it has established legal obligations for sites targeting minors or containing pornographic or other potentially harmful content. The launch of this application may give the European Union reasons to strengthen control over platforms that, in its opinion, do not respond actively enough to risks and do not implement effective protection mechanisms.
“The protection of minors is a very important priority for us, and we will take more measures in this direction”, – said the head of the EU on technology matters, Genna Virkkunen, emphasizing the expectation of greater responsibility on the part of the technology companies themselves.
The European Union is also investigating platforms such as Meta, TikTok and Pornhub for possible violations of child protection rules. Brussels admits that the introduction of uniform age standards is complicated by the cultural characteristics of member countries, but emphasizes that online services must implement their own risk reduction systems. In addition, several EU countries advocate the introduction of additional minimum age restrictions for access to social networks.
