Overview

• The European Commission published comprehensive child-safety guidelines under the Digital Services Act to curb addictive design features, cyberbullying risks and exposure to harmful content.
• A prototype app will verify whether users are over 18 without collecting or disclosing additional personal information.
• Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Denmark have begun a multi-country pilot to customize the tool in cooperation with online platforms and end users.
• Guidelines recommend setting minor accounts to private by default, enabling blocking or muting of users and banning downloads or screenshots of youth-published content.
• The age-verification app is designed as a core component of the EU digital identity wallet, which is planned for rollout by the end of 2026.