The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday announced that the European Union’s age-verification app is now technically ready and will be rolled out shortly.
The move is part of a broader EU effort aimed at strengthening the protection of minors in the digital space.
“When it comes to the safety of children online, the situation is extremely worrying. One child in six is bullied online. One child in eight is bullying another child online”, von der Leyen told journalists.
Across the European Union, several member states are considering introducing minimum age requirements for social media use. However, a reliable verification system that complies with the bloc’s strict data protection rules has yet to be widely implemented.
Von der Leyen noted that France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Ireland have already committed to integrating the app into their national systems.
She urged other member states to follow suit, warning about the growing impact of social media on young users.
“Social media platforms offer highly addictive designs, infinite scrolling that is feeding the addiction, short videos for snap attention spans, highly personalised content.
“This environment does not benefit young, developing minds”, she said.
She also called for a “harmonised European approach” to online child protection, adding that an expert group is expected to present recommendations later this summer.
