France, Spain, and Greece are spearheading a campaign for EU-wide legislation to impose age verification systems and set minimum age limits for social media access, according to Euractiv.
A joint policy paper, obtained by Euractiv, urges the European Commission to accelerate measures ensuring “digital products” prioritise child well-being over profit, ahead of a critical meeting of EU digital ministers on 5 June.
The three countries argue that platforms’ addictive algorithms and “comparative content” fuel anxiety and body image issues among young users. Their proposal calls for binding EU rules to restrict underage access to “dubious or addictive” material while enhancing parental controls.
Central to the plan is establishing a “digital-age majority”, a threshold below which social media access would be prohibited.
The Commission is developing an interim age-verification app, set for release ahead of the EU Digital Wallet’s 2026 rollout, but member states demand it integrate stricter parental tools and usage limits.
Parallel to EU efforts, individual countries are advancing their own safeguards. Spain and France will mandate age checks for adult websites, while Greece’s “Kids Wallet” pilot uses government ID systems to authenticate users’ ages. These initiatives align with draft EU guidelines under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which urge platforms to deploy age assurance to shield minors from pornographic or violent content.
With tech giants like Meta and TikTok already required to audit algorithmic risks under the DSA, the proposed reforms could force further operational overhauls. However, digital rights groups warn that stringent age gates might compromise privacy or limit access to educational resources.
