Pressure to act at EU level has been rising since Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban for under-16s [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that an EU-developed age verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm. The app should be rolled out in the coming months and aims to replace pop-up banners asking users to click to confirm they are over 18 to access adult content sites, EU officials explained. Published – April 16, 2026 10:29 am IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation EU warns Meta WhatsApp AI fee breaches antitrust rules, orders rollback Snapchat parent cuts 1,000 roles, citing AI efficiency