Brussels tells EU countries to use its age-check app

European countries are looking for technical tools to check people’s age online, with many capitals moving toward restricting children’s access to social media over mental health concerns. The Commission is pushing for countries to use the solution it has developed so that the EU takes a unified approach.

The Commission on April 15 announced its age verification app was “technically ready” but independent experts found it was affected by security and privacy flaws. The Commission has brushed off the claims of security vulnerabilities, saying the app was only a demonstration version and that the code would continue to be updated.

Government officials from eight member countries told POLITICO they are unsure or unwilling to adopt the EU app, with many saying they preferred their own national solutions.

The EU’s message to capitals comes in the form of a Commission recommendation, formally approved this week, that suggests countries should roll out the age verification app as a standalone application or as part of a planned EU-wide digital ID that is being developed in the longer term.

Virkkunen said the Commission will also publish a list of age verification solutions “that meet our high privacy and security standards” and will set up an Age Verification Scheme “with requirements for people providing proof of age and age verification solutions to meet.” The list will include both public and private providers of age verification solutions, Virkkunen said.

In a separate announcement, the Commission warned Meta on Wednesday that the company is not doing enough to keep kids under 13 off Instagram and Facebook — telling the company earlier Wednesday that it must change the design of the platforms or face a fine.