The E.U. announced on Wednesday a new age verification app that can be used to prove the age of users online before accessing certain platforms, without sharing their personal information with the platforms themselves. A growing number of countries around the world have moved to crack down on online harms to children, but have been met with pushback from some tech companies that argue enforcing age restrictions can create practical and privacy issues.
“We are holding accountable those online platforms that do not protect our kids enough. The new age verification solution and the enforcement of our rules go hand in hand,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. “There are no more excuses.”
Here’s what to know about the app.
The app will have the “highest privacy standards in the world,” Von der Leyen said in a Wednesday post on X.
European Commission technology spokesperson Thomas Regnier told CNN that E.U. member states can tailor the app to their domestic laws and specific age requirements. Platforms will not be required to use the app, but must show that they have alternate age checks that are just as effective, he said. If they fail to do so, the platforms could face sanctions under the E.U.’s Digital Services Act.
Why have regulators made the app?
Parents across Europe and beyond have raised concerns over the impact of social media on young people’s mental wellbeing, according to the statement. Concerns center around online bullying, the addictive nature of social media especially through highly targeted content, and potential exposure to harmful and illegal content and sexual exploitation.
The E.U. said they created the app in order to address the “excuses” made by several tech platforms as to why they could not verify the ages of their users.
Several tech companies have raised concerns around the technology required to check users’ ages, as well as around preserving the privacy of users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that app stores conduct the age verification checks instead of the platforms themselves, but Apple and Google have said such an arrangement would require all users to hand over personal data.
Which countries have youth social media bans?
In December, Australia became the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from a slate of social media platforms. Australia’s ban still requires social media platforms to use their own age assurance technology to prevent underage users from creating accounts and to remove existing underage users from the platforms.
France has also led efforts to coordinate E.U. efforts to restrict social media bans. Von der Leyen is expected to attend a video conference on social media bans convened by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.
Several countries around the world, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, have introduced various restrictions aimed at curbing children’s use of social media. Some U.S. states, including Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana, have also passed laws requiring parental consent for children below a certain age to sign up for social media accounts, although almost all state-level restrictions face legal challenges.
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