EU updates age verification blueprint app amid debate on social media restrictions

The European Commission has released a second version of the EU’s age verification app blueprint, as the bloc continues to debate restricting children from accessing social media platforms.

A blueprint for an age-verification app was first released in July 2025 as a “white label” software, which is fully interoperable with upcoming EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallets. It is meant to serve as a basis for EU member states and private sector firms to build their own, localized tools.

The second version of the blueprint introduces new features, including the use of passports and identity cards in addition to eIDs, as onboarding methods for generating proof of age. The latest version also supports the Digital Credentials API, which aims to simplify interactions between users, service providers and credential issuers.

The goal of the age verification blueprint is to support the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its provisions to protect minors online. It enables users to prove they are over the age of 18 while accessing restricted content through a privacy-preserving age verification app. This means that the user doesn’t reveal any personal information, including their exact age, when accessing pornographic and other adult websites.

T-Scy consortium, composed of Scytales AB (Sweden) and T-Systems International GmbH (Germany), is in charge of developing the blueprint and stakeholder support.

The blueprint is already being tested across EU countries, with Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain among the first to customize it as a national age verification app, which will be released within their markets. By the end of the year, the blueprint is also expected to integrate zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology, allowing the verification of information without disclosing underlying private data.

But despite the technical progress, the future age verification app may not see the ubiquitous adoption that some EU lawmakers have hoped for.

Estonia and Belgium resist adopting a digital age of majority

Estonia and Belgium have become the only two EU states that have declined to sign a ministerial declaration in support of a digital age of majority.

The Jutland Declaration calls for privacy-respecting age verification on social media platforms and other digital services to “mitigate the negative impact of illegal and inappropriate content, harmful commercial practices, addictive or manipulative design, and excessive data collection, particularly affecting minors.” It also invites stakeholders to consider introducing a “digital legal age.”

The declaration was initiated by Denmark, which is currently presiding over the EU Council and was signed by 25 other EU member states, according to the Brussels Times. The country has made protecting children online one of its main priorities during the six-month tenure.

Instead of changing current age restrictions, Estonia instead wants the EU to enforce existing rules, such as the GDPR, which bans children under the age of 13 from consenting to their data being processed.

“Estonia believes in an information society and including young people in the information society,” the country’s Justice Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta told Politico.

Belgium, on the other hand, said that it did not sign the Jutland Declaration because of a veto from Flanders. The measures proposed in the declaration appeared “disproportionate,” while minors should not be required to use generalized identification tools such as Itsme to access platforms like YouTube or Instagram, says Flemish Media Minister Cieltje Van Achter.

Countries such as the Netherlands have also expressed reservations despite signing the declaration. Denmark, however, plans to continue to push for EU-wide age verification rules to avoid fragmentation through national regulation.

Last Friday, Danish Digital Minister Carolin Stage Olsen said that the Danish presidency wants the Commission to develop EU-wide age verification measures. But despite its desire to avoid fragmented national regulations, Denmark also believes that EU countries should have the opportunity to set their own age limits, Euractiv reports.

“If we make European regulation, we should also give some room for national differences,” says Stage Olsen. “So I believe it would be wisest if we don’t have one set majority age.”

Last week, the country announced it was following the example of countries such as Australia in banning certain social media websites for children aged under 15.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Belgium  |  children  |  Digital Services Act  |  Estonia  |  EU age verification  |  Europe  |  regulation  |  social media