The European Commission has proposed requiring certified, privacy-preserving age verification for social networking and video-sharing services with risky features, under a new EU KIDS Act that would set common access rules across the bloc.
The legislative proposal would prohibit social media accounts for children under 13. Children aged 13 and 14 could use limited accounts established by a guardian, with parental controls permanently enabled, approved contacts and a daily time limit of no more than one hour. Independent accounts would be permitted from 15. The proposal still requires consideration by the European Parliament and Council before becoming law.
Age checks would be performed through certified solutions independent of the platforms themselves. The Commission identifies its free age verification app and, eventually, the European Digital Identity Wallet as routes for presenting a yes-or-no answer about whether a person meets an age threshold. Platforms would not receive the user’s identity documents or learn their identity through that proof.
The proposal specifies zero-knowledge proof technology, a cryptographic method for demonstrating that a condition is satisfied without revealing the underlying personal information. Member States would have to provide at least one free verification route, including for people without digital ID, alongside a free, privacy-preserving way for guardians to demonstrate parental responsibility.
The approach builds on the Commission’s recommendation to deploy age verification applications by the end of 2026. Its EUDI Wallet age verification manual also describes presenting an age-threshold credential without unnecessary personal details.
Self-declared birthdays would not be sufficient under the proposed rules. Platforms would have six months after the rules begin applying to check existing accounts and disable those held by under-15s or users whose age cannot be established. Most existing adults would not need another check where multiple signals, such as account creation dates and credit card details, already establish adulthood with high confidence.
The measure also covers safer design for games, app stores and AI companions or chatbots accessible to minors. App stores would have to carry the EU age verification app. Platforms with at least 45 million monthly active EU users would need independently audited compliance plans, paid for by the providers, before reaching children under the new regime.
Sources: European Commission FAQ, European Commission Proposal
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
