EU countries want age verification on social media
France, Spain and Greece are working on a joint proposal to require age verification when creating an account on social media. They will present this proposal to other EU countries in early June.
Information Security Netherlands May 19, 2025
"We must protect our children," French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced. "It has been shown that social networks are the cause of suffering and mental health problems." Ireland has already indicated its support for the plan, French Liberation and AFP news agency reported.
Misinformation, hate speech and cyberbullying
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pleaded early this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos to end anonymity on social media. "No one can send packages without showing an ID, or buy a hunting gun without giving their name. (...) And yet we allow people to move around on social networks without linking their profiles to a real identity. This paves the way for misinformation, hate speech and cyberbullying."
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Every social media user would have to identify themselves with proof of identity. "That is the only way to guarantee that minors are not accessing inappropriate content," Sanches said.
