Ursula Von der Leyen pushes EU-wide social-media age protections for children

"The European Commission president said an EU age-verification app is technically complete and that bloc-level rules on minimum social-media ages are next. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday set out the EU's plan to extend protections for children online, telling MEPs the bloc's age-verification app is technically ready for citizen use and that a Commission-led approach to minimum social-media ages is in development."

"The intervention follows a wave of national legislation by EU member states moving ahead of any bloc-wide rule. France approved a bill in January 2026 to ban under-15s from social-media platforms, citing a public-health emergency. Spain has tabled plans for an under-16 ban; Austria, Denmark, and Slovenia are drafting rules at ages 14, 15, and 15, respectively. Italy and Ireland are exploring restrictions at the under-15 and under-16."

"The Commission's preferred approach has not yet been finalised. The European Parliament has called for a uniform 16-year minimum, but von der Leyen said the Commission first wants to consult experts on the appropriate threshold. The Digital Services Act already requires very large online platforms to assess and mitigate risks to children, and a series of enforcement actions and risk-assessment audits is underway against named platforms."

"The age-verification system Ursula on der Leyen referenced was developed by the Commission's digital-identity team and uses zero-knowledge cryptographic techniques to confirm whether a user is above a defined threshold without disclosing their actual age, identity or other personal data. The Commission says the app is ready for member-state implementation; rollout timing is at the discretion of each member state."

An EU age-verification app is technically complete and ready for citizen use. EU-level rules on minimum social-media ages are being developed, with the Commission planning to consult experts before finalizing a threshold. Several member states are already acting independently, including France banning under-15s and Spain proposing an under-16 ban, while Austria, Denmark, and Slovenia draft rules at ages 14 or 15 and Italy and Ireland explore under-15 or under-16 restrictions. The Digital Services Act requires very large platforms to assess and mitigate risks to children, and enforcement actions and risk-assessment audits are underway. The age-verification system uses zero-knowledge cryptographic techniques to confirm age above a threshold without revealing actual age, identity, or other personal data, and rollout timing is left to member states.

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