The European Commission defines a common method for age verification technologies in the EU

IRIS 2026-5:1/11

Paola Bellissens

Media Law Expert

On 29 April, the Commission adopted a recommendation enabling all EU citizens to use anonymous tools to verify their age, while guaranteeing a high level of privacy and data protection.

The recommendation is based on a simple observation: age verification is becoming increasingly important in everyday life. The Commission places particular emphasis on the protection of minors from illegal or harmful content, cyberbullying, grooming, the risks of addiction and other problematic uses of digital services.

There are already several European rules protecting minors online, including the Digital Services Act (DSA), the action plan against cyberbullying and the strategy for a more child-friendly Internet. However, the European institution considers that there is a lack of a common technical tool that can reliably prove a person's age, without collecting more data than necessary.

The recommendation therefore sets out the measures to be put in place by member states to ensure that everyone has access to a reliable, privacy-friendly age verification system by 31 December 2026. It is therefore recommended that member states use the European age verification scheme, draw up implementation plans to ensure rapid adoption of solutions, cooperate and enter into dialogue with each other, and ensure compliance with all relevant cybersecurity standards. In addition, each member state will have to submit an implementation plan to the Commission by 30 June 2026.

To ensure proper implementation of age verification, the Commission has put in place an action plan for an age verification solution to better protect minors online. This allows users to prove that they meet the age conditions without disclosing their identity. To ensure that these solutions are widely adopted, the Commission wishes to create a European age verification scheme, i.e. a set of common rules for certifying service providers and solutions.

This is an important step towards more reliable, secure and harmonised age verification throughout the European Union.