SPECIAL Informat.ro / How the EU application will work that promises to keep children away from dangerous online content

Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that the EU age verification application for online platforms is "ready" from a technical standpoint and will be available "soon", marking the transition from political debate to the implementation phase of a concrete tool for controlling minors' access to online content. This tool – a kind of "mini digital wallet" for age – comes against the backdrop of the European offensive against the risks associated with social media among children and adolescents, as well as national movements, such as Emmanuel Macron's plan to ban access to social networks for children under 15 years old.

What is the EU age verification application

The European age verification application is software provided by the European Commission to demonstrate online that the user is over a certain age – primarily 18 years – without having to give the platform their name, date of birth, or a copy of their identity document. It is designed as a "user-friendly" and "privacy-preserving" solution, part of the effort to apply the rules from the Digital Services Act regarding the protection of minors and access to age-restricted content (pornography, gambling, alcohol, etc.). The Commission published an "Age Verification Blueprint" on July 14, 2025, then an improved version on October 10, 2025, and now the solution, dubbed "mini wallet", is technically ready and enters the testing phase with member states and online platforms. The source code, technical specifications, and a beta version are publicly available on the official project website.

How it works, in 5 simple steps, for the user

The Commission suggests that the tool will exist either as a separate application or as an integrated function within a "digital identity wallet" that each member state will make available to its citizens.

1. Download the application or activate the "mini wallet"

Each user will have an official application on their phone – developed or validated by the authorities in each country – or a function within the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). In terms of experience, it is like any other application: you install it and go through a few setup steps.

2. Confirm your age once

During the initial setup, you need to prove that you are of a certain age

either by scanning an identity document (ID card, passport);

or by using a digital identity issued by the state (if one already exists). The application does not retain a copy of the document but extracts only the relevant information – date of birth / age – and creates a digital "age card" based on it that remains saved on your phone.

3. Enter a site or application with age restrictions

When you arrive at an adult site, on a gambling platform, or, in the future, on a social network that has a higher age limit, you are no longer asked to check "I am over 18" or to send a picture of your ID. Instead, the site sends a request to your age verification application: "please confirm that the user is over 18" (or over 15, over 16, depending on what the law requires).

4. You receive a notification and choose what to share

A notification appears on your phone screen: "Platform X wants to verify if you are over 18. Do you want to confirm?"

If you accept, the application sends back to the site a single response: "yes, they are over 18" or "no, they are not". The site does not see your name, does not see your ID number, nor the exact date of birth. Technically, this is possible through so-called "verifiable credentials" and selective disclosure mechanisms: only the strictly necessary information is transmitted, not your entire profile.

5. Access is granted or restricted

If the application confirms that you have the necessary age, you gain access to the site or platform; if not, access is blocked or the account is treated as a minor's account, with additional restrictions and protections.

The same mechanism can also apply to other age thresholds: for example, to create a social media account, you need confirmation that you are over 13 or 16 years old, depending on how each country decides.

What happens behind the scenes: an "age wallet" linked to digital identity

Beyond the simple interface, the application is linked to a much larger project: the European Digital Identity Wallet, which should become, by the end of 2026, a kind of "identity card on the phone" valid throughout the EU. The technical plan for age verification is built on the same architecture as the digital wallet: the state (or an accredited provider) issues a digital "age card", you keep it on your device and present it when requested, without giving access to other data.

The project is open source, which means that any country, company, or developer can use the code, but cannot modify the basic rules regarding data protection from the blueprint – those remain imposed by the Commission. For the Commission, this is a "pilot use case": if it works for age verification, the same logic can be extended to other situations – proof of studies, work rights, professional qualifications, etc.

Here, inevitably, questions arise regarding dependence on such digital wallets: how much will we eventually need them for any type of access, not just for 18+ content.

How countries will apply it: common standard, different rules

For now, the EU does not impose a single age threshold for access to social networks, but there is political pressure in the European Parliament for a minimum of 16 years. At the same time, more and more states are trying to establish their own rules, from 13 to 16 years, for children's access to platforms.

In this puzzle, the EU application has a clear role:

it offers a common verification standard that platforms can use across all EU countries, instead of implementing a separate system for each state;

it leaves governments the freedom to decide where to set the age threshold and what to block: adult sites, gambling, social networks, or just certain functions;

it also serves as a pressure tool: once there is an official verification mechanism, the Commission and national authorities can more easily sanction platforms that do not use it and do not protect minors.

Macron and France, the spearhead of restricting children's access to social networks in the EU

France is the most visible example of a country that wants to legislate this technical tool with very strict rules for social media. President Emmanuel Macron announced that he wants to ban access to social networks for children under 15, with implementation scheduled for September 2026. At the same time, Paris is also preparing to extend the ban on the use of mobile phones in high schools.

Additionally, Emmanuel Macron announced a European videoconference, in which he wants to discuss a coordinated approach to social media bans for minors, so that states do not act chaotically, each according to their own rules. In such a scenario, the EU application becomes the technical tool through which France can enforce the law: platforms would be required to use it to verify whether a user is under 15 years old or not.

In practice, France will be one of the "laboratories" where it will be seen how a strict national ban connects with a common European tool, designed to be both effective and respectful of privacy.

Synthesis made with the help of Perplexity