Four European countries want to promote age verification for social media account creation

France, in collaboration with Greece, Spain, and Ireland, is working to advance pan-European legislation that would mandate social media platforms to verify users’ ages during account creation, according to Clara Chapaz, France’s Deputy Minister of State for Digital Policy.

In an interview with the French newspaper Liberation, Chapaz noted that President Emmanuel Macron has proposed banning mobile phone usage for children under 11 and restricting social media access for those under 15, citing expert research on the impact of screen exposure on youth.

Chapaz stated, “We need to exceed the existing European Digital Services Act to enhance its effectiveness and ensure that social media cannot allow account registrations without age verification.” She also expressed a desire to rally European partners for obligatory age verification measures. “My priority is to collaborate with Spain, Greece, and Ireland to persuade the European Commission,” she added.