European Commission: Ursula von der Leyen unveils an age-verification app for the EU Digital Identity Wallet

The European Commission is rolling out a fresh application aimed directly at citizens.

Announced on Wednesday 15 April by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the stated ambition is extremely broad: protecting children from cyberbullying, pornography, screen addiction, and illegal content.

A harmonised European approach to age verification

To support that agenda, she presented what she called a "harmonised European approach": an age-verification application that is "technically ready" and "soon available to all citizens". It is worth noting that Brussels has been promising the launch of this solution - the EU Digital Identity Wallet - for several years.

She also added: "This app will allow users to prove their age when they access online platforms, just as shops ask for an ID card when buying alcoholic drinks."

The comparison is striking because it is easy to overlook a practical consequence: preventing children from accessing a website means all citizens, not only minors, are required to provide proof of identity.

How the app is supposed to work across devices

On how the tool would operate, she explained:

"First, it is easy to use. You simply download the app and set it up with your passport or ID card. You can then prove your age to access online services. Second, it complies with the strictest privacy standards in the world. Users prove their age without disclosing any other personal information. Put simply, it is completely anonymous: users cannot be tracked. Third, the app works on all devices: phone, tablet, computer, etc. Finally, its source code is fully open - anyone can inspect it."

Ursula von der Leyen pointed to France and a handful of other Member States as examples, as they have already said they intend to integrate the app into their national digital wallets. In France, a ban on social networks for under-15s is coming into view, along with the requirement to prove one’s identity.

A project far from unanimous

As this careful presentation suggests, the European Commission is handling the proposal delicately. The reason is simple: it is far from universally supported. Last March, hundreds of academics signed an open letter urging governments to pause this mandatory age-verification project on social networks.

In their view, there is no scientific consensus on either the benefits or the harms of age-verification technologies, while security weaknesses can emerge on platforms in ways that expose users’ privacy.

Quoted by Dig.watch, they added that "any credible system would require cryptographic guarantees for every request to protect data in transit, rather than leaving identity control to platforms without robust technical safeguards. (…) Such an infrastructure would be complex to build globally and would create constraints that many providers may refuse to adopt".