New EU App Aims to Safeguard Minors from Inappropriate Online Content

Several EU countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Denmark, are testing a new app designed to enhance online safety for minors by enforcing stricter age restrictions. This app verifies the user's age using official documents like an ID or passport, then stores the birthdate to control access to age-restricted content.

The app ensures user privacy by only communicating whether a user is old enough to access certain content, without revealing their exact age or identity. The initiative aims to prevent children from accessing inappropriate material, with each country deciding which websites require the app's implementation.

The EU Commission also recommends additional protections, such as making minors' profiles private and disabling addictive features for young users. Meanwhile, Reddit has introduced age verification in the UK, in line with new regulations, to prevent underage access to explicit content, though privacy concerns persist over the handling of personal data.