Five European Union Countries To Test Age Verification Applications To Protect Children

Illustration. (Unsplash/Rami Al-zayat)

JAKARTA - France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece plan to test a blueprint for age verification applications to protect children online, in a European Commission statement last month amid growing global concerns about the impact of social media on children's mental health.

This age verification app setting is based on the same technical specifications as the European Digital Identity Wallet which will be launched next year.

The five countries can customize the model according to their needs, integrate it into national applications, or use it separately.

EU executives have also issued guidelines for online platforms to take steps to protect minors as part of their compliance with the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA).

This important law, which took effect last year, requires Alphabet, Google, Meta Platforms, TikTok, ByteDance and other online companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content.

Elon Musk's X, Meta's TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, as well as several adult content websites are currently being investigated by EU regulators regarding their compliance with DSA.

"The platform has no reason to continue the practice that harms children," EU technology chief Henna Vikkunen said in a statement.

European Union regulators say these new guidelines will help online platforms tackle addictive designs, cyberbullying, harmful content, and unwanted contacts from strangers.

It is known that the impact of social media on children's mental health has become a growing global concern, with dozens of US states suing Meta, while Australia last year banned social media for children under the age of 16.