The European Commission has proposed new rules to limit children’s access to social media, backed by a privacy-focused age-verification system designed to confirm a user’s age without revealing their identity to online platforms.
Under the proposed EU KIDS Act, children under 13 would not be allowed to access social media services. Those aged 13 and 14 could use limited “mini accounts” under parental supervision, while users aged 15 and above would be able to manage their own accounts. The proposal still requires approval from the European Parliament and EU member states before becoming law.
How the European age-verification app works
The European Commission’s age-verification solution is designed to provide an age confirmation without sharing a person’s name, date of birth or identity documents with the platform.
Users would first establish their age through an identity document, national electronic ID, participating third-party service or an in-person process. The app would then provide a simple confirmation, such as whether the user is above a particular age threshold. The Commission says identity documents and biometric information would not be retained in the verification app.
The technology is open source and can be adapted by EU member states or incorporated into national digital identity systems.
How it differs from Australia’s approach
Australia’s rules, which took effect on December 10, 2025, prevent age-restricted social media platforms from allowing Australians under 16 to maintain accounts. However, Australia did not prescribe one mandatory age-verification technology. Platforms can use methods including age inference, facial or voice-based age estimation and document-based verification.
The European approach therefore seeks to provide a common, privacy-preserving verification system across the bloc, while Australia’s system leaves the choice of age-assurance method largely to platforms.