In practice, it's about protecting children and young people from things they shouldn't have access to in the physical world. For example, buying alcohol and cigarettes or watching a certain type of movies (porn) if they're not old enough.
But how safe can you be about someone's age online? Isn't it just a matter of clicking away or lying? At the EU level, the whole thing is being tackled with a new age verification, which is partly Swedish-developed.
A first version is planned for July when the reference implementation is launched, says Riitta Partala, project manager at Scytáles, which is developing the framework for the technology.
Digital wallet
When the project is complete, the idea is that users will be able to verify their age and gain access to digital content – for example, explicit content, or other things that have an age limit.
The project is part of the upcoming "EU wallet" which is expected to be launched at the end of 2026. Citizens will then be able to identify themselves and pay with the service.
Age verification is different from ID verification. In a way, they're similar, yes, both are about digital trust, but there's a huge difference in what data is shared.
Exactly how the verification will work is not nailed down, or which authority in each country will be in charge.
Phone focus
User-friendliness is key, Partala believes, emphasizing that it must be possible to trust that the service only verifies age and doesn't collect information about who you are and why you're buying a product, for example.
In the long run, Partala sees getting rid of the need for a physical ID as natural.
Everything can be done with a phone today, everything you previously had a wallet for can be done with the phone. Except, in most countries, identifying yourself.
Partala notes that a EU-wide digital solution for age and identity verification is complex, since member states have different technical prerequisites and time horizons.
In the end, it's up to each member state how they implement this.
Marcus Alexandersson/TT
Facts: EU wallet
TT
The EU aims to launch a digital wallet by the end of 2026. The idea is that citizens will be able to use the wallet to pay for various services and goods, but also to identify themselves when traveling, for example.
The exact design of the wallet and how broad support it will get in terms of everyday functionality is not clear. Parts of the EU wallet are being developed by the Swedish company Scytáles together with T-Systems (Deutsche Telecom).
