Five countries will test an online age verification application
Brussels – Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner responsible for technological issues, stated that a new application to be tested by five countries “will allow users to easily prove that they are over 18, which will protect children from inappropriate content.”
Very concretely, this is a European prototype that each member state can adjust according to its own rules: for example, depending on whether a ban is in place on the internet for children aged 12, 13, or 15, etc.
The first five countries to take the step are France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, and Spain.
This proposal was particularly pushed by France, with the Minister for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, advocating for age verification “at the European level” to access social networks.
In early June, French President Emmanuel Macron committed to banning social networks for those under 15 in France if, “within a few months,” this does not happen at the European level. (July 14, 2025)
