The European Commission Unveils Child Online Safety Guidelines and an Age Verification App Prototype

The European Commission Unveils Child Online Safety Guidelines and an Age Verification App Prototype

In July 2025, the European Commission presented guidelines* and an age verification app prototype for a safer on-line space for children, both under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, in application since February 2024, is a horizontal instrument**,  that aims to create a safer online environment in the EU. It puts in place a framework of responsibilities targeted at different types of services (such as intermediary services, hosting services, online platform services, and very large online platforms services) and proposes a set of EU-wide obligations to ensure transparency, and accountability of the EU online space.

The guidelines set out a list of measures to protect children from online risks such as grooming, harmful content, problematic and addictive behaviours, as well as cyberbullying and harmful commercial practices.

The guidelines include the following key points: 

• Before considering whether to put in place a feature to verify or estimate the age of users in their digital services, they should consider several key features of that method: Its accuracy, reliability, robustness, non-intrusiveness, and non-discrimination. Regarding the latter, providers of online platforms should ensure that the chosen method is appropriate and available for all minors, including minors with disabilities.
• On-line platforms requiring a registration process must ensure that it is easy for all minors to access and navigate it, including for those with disabilities.
• Regarding the online interface design, any tools, features, functionalities, settings, prompts, options and reporting, feedback and complaints mechanisms must be child-friendly, and easy to access and understand for all minors, including those with disabilities and/or additional accessibility needs.
• Providers of online platforms should take into account the specific needs, characteristics, disabilities and accessibility needs of minors when testing and adapting the design of platforms.
• Any feedback, reporting, and complaints mechanisms should be available for intuitive and immediate access for all minors, including those with disabilities.

To help online platforms implement a user-friendly and privacy-preserving age verification method, the Commission is developing an age-verification blueprint app. The release of this blueprint launches a pilot phase during which a software solution for age verification will be tested and further customised in collaboration with Member States, online platforms and end-users.

* Guidelines are documents published by the European Commission in order to provide guidance to Member States or stakeholders on how to interpret or implement EU law. More information available here.

**  The DSA is a horizontal instrument, which means that it does not focus on one single sector-specific area and, instead, provides an EU-wide framework of rules for a wide range of services in the digital space (i.e. intermediary services, hosting services, online platform services, and very large online platforms services), and applies to a broad range of providers, such as online platforms (e.g. social media and marketplaces), and search engines.

More information about the launch of the guidelines and age verification tool available here.

More information on the guidelines on the protection of minors available here.

More information about the age-verification blueprint available here.

More information on the Digital Services Act available here.