---
title: "The EU Wants an Age Verification App — What Parents Can Do Right Now"
date: 2026-04-16
description: "The European Commission has announced an age verification app based on zero-knowledge proofs. Seven countries plan to integrate it by the end of 2026. Here is what it means — and what parents can do today."
tags: ["age verification", "EU", "parental controls", "VPN", "DNS filtering", "Digital Services Act", "zero-knowledge proof"]
categories: ["legislation"]
author: "Agiliton"
slug: "eu-age-verification-app-parental-options"
translationKey: "eu-age-verification-app"
further_reading:
  - "parental-controls-2026"
  - "layers-of-protection"
---

On April 15, 2026, the European Commission announced that its age verification app is technically ready for deployment. The system uses zero-knowledge proofs — a cryptographic method that lets a person prove they are above a certain age (13, 16, or 18) without revealing their actual birthdate or any other personal data.

Seven EU member states — France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Cyprus, and Ireland — plan to integrate the app into their national digital identity wallets by the end of 2026. The goal is to provide a single, privacy-preserving standard that platforms can rely on, replacing the current patchwork of national rules with something that actually works across borders.

## Why This Matters

The past twelve months have seen a wave of national social media bans for children. Australia was first, banning under-16s in December 2025. France, Greece, Denmark, and Cyprus have all followed with under-15 bans in various stages of legislation and enforcement.

But bans without enforcement are just words. Australia's experience shows the problem clearly: four months after its ban took effect, studies suggest around 70% of children still found ways to access the platforms. The reason is simple — there was no reliable way to verify age.

Platform self-regulation has also failed. Most social media services technically require users to be 13 or older, but a checkbox asking "Are you over 13?" has never stopped a determined ten-year-old.

The EU's app could change this. By tying age verification to official identity documents and using zero-knowledge proofs, it avoids the privacy trap — no face scans stored on corporate servers, no copies of passports uploaded to TikTok. The user proves their age bracket once, and the credential is reusable across platforms.

## But It Is Not Here Yet

"Technically ready" does not mean "available tomorrow." Deployment depends on each member state integrating the app into its digital identity infrastructure. Platform adoption is voluntary unless the Digital Services Act mandates it — and that regulatory push is still in progress.

Realistically, most families will not have access to this tool until late 2026 or 2027. Children are online now.

## What Parents Can Do Today

There is no single tool that solves online safety. But there are four categories of protection, each covering something the others miss.

**1. Device-level controls (iOS Screen Time, Google Family Link).** These are built into the phone and handle app install approvals, daily time limits, and content ratings. They work on that one device, on any network. The weakness: web-based content is poorly filtered, and a child who knows the passcode can change settings. A second browser or a web app bypasses most restrictions entirely.

**2. Router-level DNS filtering.** Changing the DNS server on the home router to a family-safe provider (like Cloudflare 1.1.1.3 or NextDNS) blocks entire categories of content for every device on the home network — phones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles. The limitation is obvious: it only works at home. Mobile data, school Wi-Fi, and a friend's house are all unfiltered.

**3. Browser extensions and safe search.** Google SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode, and browser-based content filters add another layer. But they only cover one browser, on one device. A child who opens a different browser, uses an app instead of the web, or simply turns off the extension is unprotected.

**4. VPN with DNS filtering.** A family VPN installed on the child's device tunnels all internet traffic — every app, every browser, every network — through a curated DNS blocklist that travels with the device. It works at home, on mobile data, on school Wi-Fi, on holiday. The blocklist filters entire content categories (social media, adult content, gambling, dating) as well as ads, trackers, and malware. In a locked-down child profile, the VPN cannot be disabled by the child.

## Why VPN Stands Out

The first three tools all share a common problem: they stop at a boundary. Screen Time stops at the app level. The router stops at the front door. Browser filters stop at the browser. A determined child — and most are determined — can step around each one.

A VPN with DNS filtering is the only layer that travels with the device and cannot be switched off. It does not replace Screen Time (which is still the best tool for app time limits) or router filtering (which still covers every device at home). But it fills the gap that the others leave open: portable, always-on content filtering that works regardless of which network the device connects to.

It also has a privacy advantage that matters in the context of age verification. Unlike the EU app (which requires linking to government ID), and unlike platform-level ID checks (which raise questions about who stores the data), DNS-level filtering does not collect personal data about the child. It simply blocks categories of content at the network level — no identity, no biometrics, no data to leak.

For families looking for a solution that works today — not in late 2026 when the EU app might be available — a combination of device controls and a family VPN with DNS filtering is the strongest setup available.

---

*For a detailed comparison of Screen Time, Family Link, router filters, and VPN filtering, see the [Parental Controls 2026 guide](/en/parental-controls-2026-practical-guide/). For a deep dive into why a VPN is the layer that holds everything together, read [The Seven Layers of Online Protection](/en/layers-of-online-protection-why-vpn-matters/).*
