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Youth protection concerns remain unaddressed: No suitable app available!

EU app for youth protection is deemed dangerous symbolism in political context, according to c't editor Holger Bleich.

Youth protection critique: No app available for safeguarding minors!
Youth protection critique: No app available for safeguarding minors!

Youth protection concerns remain unaddressed: No suitable app available!

In a bid to safeguard the online experiences of young users, the European Commission, under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, has initiated a white-label app for web-based age verification. This app, currently being piloted in France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, and Spain, is designed to ensure that users are over 18 years old, utilising privacy-preserving technology and supporting compliance with the Digital Services Act.

The app is part of the European Digital Identity Wallet and follows the trend of implementing technical solutions for online content regulation, echoing the sentiment of Apple's 2010s advertising slogan, "There's an app for that!".

Adults may find themselves needing to learn how to bypass age verification banners due to the implementation of ID checks for everyone. However, there are VPN providers that anonymously and for cash can unlock access to websites with under-18 verification.

Teenagers, known for their creative prowess, have shown the ability to find ways around prohibitions. Just as lock-picking tutorials on YouTube have helped open locked candy cabinets, so too have they found ways to bypass age limits on porn websites in France and Britain.

Parents, on the other hand, may find a web age verification app practical for monitoring their children's online activities. The app, if adopted by all EU member states, could potentially offer a solution for web age verification, as claimed by the EU Commission.

However, the issue of social media bans for children is also being considered. With a surge of symbolic political demands, all aimed at Apple's claim, the landscape of online content regulation is rapidly evolving.

For those seeking more information on this topic, related videos are available on our website, such as c't 3003 and Peertube. Stay tuned for updates as this story unfolds.

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