The European Union is testing an age-verification app, a sign that online age gating is drawing closer.
France recently approved a law requiring social media platforms to verify ages and obtain parental consent for under-15s, and several EU countries are pushing for bloc-wide measures to mandate age verification. Two US senators told Semafor on Wednesday that children under 13 should be barred from using social media.
Tech companies have pushed back, often on privacy grounds — laws in some US states have led to major porn sites withdrawing from those markets — but the tide may be starting to turn: Reddit will roll out age verification in the UK, with users required to upload a selfie or government ID to view certain content.