Five EU states to test age verification app to protect children

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By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece will test a blueprint for an age verification app to protect children online, the European Commission said on Monday, amid growing global concern about the impact of social media on children’s mental health.

The setup for the age verification app is built on the same technical specifications as the European Digital Identity Wallet which will be rolled out next year. The five countries can customise the model according to their requirements, integrate into a national app or keep it separately.

The EU executive also published guidelines for online platforms to take measures to protect minors as part of their compliance with the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

The landmark legislation, which became applicable last year, requires Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms, ByteDance’s TikTok and other online companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content.

Elon Musk’s X, TikTok, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram and several adult content websites are currently being investigated by EU regulators on whether they comply with the DSA.

EU regulators said the new guidelines would help online platforms to tackle addictive design, cyberbullying, harmful content and unwanted contact from strangers.

“Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

The effect of social media on children’s mental health has become a growing global concern, with dozens of U.S. states suing Meta, while Australia last year banned social media for children under 16.

(Reporting by Foo Yun CheeEditing by Gareth Jones)