14 July 2025, The European Commission has published its guidelines on the application of Article 28 of the Digital Services Act (DSA)., which regulates the obligations of platforms with regard to online safety and the protection of minors' privacy.
What are these guidelines?
In concrete terms, the guidelines specify the measures expected from digital services to ensure these requirements are met at European level. In particular, with regard to:
- Strict age verification for high-risk platforms (e.g. pornographic websites) and the age estimation method for moderate-risk platforms (e.g. social networks); ;
- Supervision of accounts for minors, For example: hiding profiles from unknown contacts, prohibiting screenshots of content posted by minors; ;
- Deactivation of certain sensitive features : night-time notifications, geolocation, access to microphone and camera; ;
- Limiting personalised content and addictive designs ;
- Enhanced moderation content accessible to minors; ;
- Easier access to reporting mechanisms such as 3018.
These guidelines aim to ensure optimal protection for minors. in the digital environment, while enabling them to take full ownership of their online experience.
Platforms that fail to comply with these guidelines are liable to penalties for non-compliance with the DSA.
Launch of the European digital age verification application
At the same time, The European Commission has launched the pilot phase of the European age verification application. in five Member States: France, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Greece. The aim of this system is to provide European governments with a genuine age verification solution, pending the introduction of the European digital wallet, scheduled for 2026.
A privacy-friendly solution
This age verification application will enable users to prove that they are of legal age., while ensuring that their personal data is not disclosed. This system guarantees two principles:
- Principle of the trusted third party : to access a platform, users must prove their age by presenting an official identity document to an independent trusted third party. This third party verifies the validity of the document and, consequently, the user's age.
- Principle of double anonymity Once age has been verified, the platform only receives confirmation of majority, without any personal data or possibility of identifying or tracing the user. The trusted third party, for its part, does not know the identity of the platform receiving this confirmation.
At the end of this pilot phase, the system will be rolled out across the European Union, with each Member State retaining the option to adapt the technical details to suit its regulatory framework. This approach paves the way for the effective implementation of digital majority., leaving each country free to set the age threshold it considers most appropriate.
The commitment of the e-Enfance Association / 3018 to the implementation of the DSA
The e-Enfance/3018 Association welcomes the work undertaken by the European Commission on online age verification, an issue it has long championed.
As a trusted flagger and member of the Safer Internet Centre France, the e-Enfance/3018 Association is fully committed to the implementation of the Digital Services Act in France:
- Accompany platforms in the application of guidelines
- Bring her support to the government and digital regulatory authorities in the pilot phase of the European age verification app
- Becoming the point of contact future platform “child protection” representatives, as provided for in the guidelines
Protecting children online, combating exposure to inappropriate content, preventing cyberbullying and regulating digital usage: these are the priorities we share with the European institutions.
Learn more about the DSA guidelines on site of the European Commission.
