By Emmanuel Nduka
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced that the European Union’s long-awaited age-verification application is now technically ready and will be launched in the near future.
She made this known on Wednesday while addressing journalists, stressing that the initiative forms part of a broader EU effort to strengthen the protection of minors in the digital space.
Describing the situation as alarming, Ursula von der Leyen highlighted troubling statistics on children’s online experiences. “When it comes to the safety of children online, the situation is extremely worrying. One child in six is bullied online, while one child in eight is bullying another child,” she said.
Across the European Union, several countries are already considering or implementing minimum age requirements for social media use. However, the absence of a reliable and privacy-compliant age-verification system has remained a major challenge, particularly given the bloc’s strict data protection rules.
According to the Commission president, a number of countries, including France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Ireland, have indicated readiness to integrate the new app into their national digital systems once it is rolled out. She also encouraged other member states to adopt the tool in a bid to ensure a unified approach.
Von der Leyen further raised concerns about the design of many social media platforms, warning that features such as infinite scrolling, highly personalized content and short-form videos are contributing to addictive behaviour among young users. She noted that such digital environments are not conducive to the healthy development of children.
She therefore called for a coordinated European strategy to tackle the issue, adding that a group of experts has been tasked with developing additional recommendations aimed at enhancing online safety for minors. The group is expected to present its findings by the summer.
The planned rollout of the age-verification app marks a significant step in the EU’s ongoing efforts to regulate digital platforms and create a safer online environment for younger users.
