Five EU states to test age verification app to protect children

France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece will test a blueprint for an age verification app to protect children online, the European Commission said on Monday, amid growing global concern about the impact of social media on children’s mental health.

The setup for the age verification app is built on the same technical specifications as the European Digital Identity Wallet which will be rolled out next year. The five countries can customise the model according to their requirements, integrate into a national app or keep it separately.

The EU executive…