GoKawiilEU proposes social media ban for under-13s, backs it with open-source age-check app
The European Commission unveiled a plan to bar children under 13 from social media, allowing parent-supervised accounts for ages 13 to 15. To enforce this, Brussels has built its own free, open-source age-verification app, being piloted in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain, with full EU rollout expected by end of 2026.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This would be the largest coordinated social media access restriction in the world, covering roughly 450 million people, and it shifts enforcement responsibility from individual platforms to a shared government-built system. The decentralized design—no central age database, single-use proofs, separated issuers and verifiers—aims to balance child safety with privacy, potentially setting a global template for age verification online.
- EU proposes banning under-13s from social media, with supervised access for 13-15 year olds
- A free, open-source app will verify age without revealing identity or storing personal data
- Pilot programs are underway in seven countries ahead of a planned 2026 EU-wide launch
Source: yro.slashdot.org — Posted, 2026-09-20
Published there as: “To Enforce Its Proposed Social Media Ban for 450 Million Pre-Teens, EU Builds an Open Source App”
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