The European Commission announced on Wednesday that its planned age-verification application for online platforms is now technically ready and is expected to be rolled out in the near future.
The initiative is part of a broader EU push to strengthen the protection of minors on the internet.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that the state of child safety online is “extremely worrying,” noting that one in six children experiences cyberbullying, while one in eight admits to bullying others online.
Several EU member states are preparing to set minimum age requirements for social media use, but they have faced challenges in implementing a reliable verification system that complies with the bloc’s strict data privacy rules.
France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Ireland have already said they intend to incorporate the tool into their national digital systems.
Von der Leyen also raised concerns about the impact of social media design on young users, pointing to features such as endless scrolling, short-form videos and highly personalized feeds that encourage prolonged use.
She argued that such platform designs are not suited to the healthy development of children and young teenagers.
Looking ahead, the European Union is expected to develop coordinated rules across member states, with an expert panel due to submit proposals aimed at improving online safeguards for minors by the summer.