EU age verification app ready as Europe moves to curb children's social media access

FILE PHOTO: Teenagers look at their mobile phone screens during an interview with Reuters about the bill aimed at banning the use of social networks for those under 15 and mobile phones in high schools from the start of the 2026 school year, in Paris, France, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Ausloos/File Photo

BRUSSELS, April 15 (Reuters) - The ⁠EU's age verification app for online platforms is ready and will soon be available to ⁠use, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, as member states push ahead ‌with plans to limit children's access to social media.

Following Australia's groundbreaking social media ban for children launched last year, a growing number of European nations are weighing their own restrictions as concerns mount over social media's impact on the health and safety of minors.