Greece is set to introduce a new age verification application named “Kids Wallet” as part of its broader initiative to encourage the European Union to enhance legislation focused on protecting minors from online addiction.
This initiative coincides with the EU Commission’s preparations to launch European Digital Identity Wallets, which will include age verification features.
The “Kids Wallet” app aims to verify the ages of users to tackle online addiction among minors. It leverages the Greek digital ID of a parent or guardian, verified through TaxisNet, Greece’s national authorization service. Parents can access the child’s profile on the Digital ID app, which confirms the child’s identity with data from the Greek civil registry, determining the child’s age from their birth date. Third-party applications can retrieve this age information via an API, provided there is parental consent.
Functioning as an age verification tool, the Kids Wallet app also offers parental control features in Greece. Parents can choose which apps their children can access, set time limits, and block certain applications, according to the government’s strategy.
The Greek government plans to make the Kids Wallet app available nationwide within a month and is also pushing for an EU-wide approach.
Child protection online is a priority under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), with forthcoming guidelines expected to address online minor protection. While age verification isn’t directly mentioned in the DSA, the European Digital Identity Wallets (eIDAS) include provisions for it. An EU-wide age verification app is anticipated to set a “gold standard” for age verification, though its implementation will be voluntary and won’t be fully operational across member states until 2026.
In related developments, tech giants like Meta have introduced “Teen Accounts” in the EU, and Apple has implemented “age assurance” features, allowing parents to select age ranges without sharing exact birth dates with third-party apps. Both companies illustrate different strategies for protecting minors, with Meta pushing for EU-wide age verification regulation and Apple focusing on age assurance.
There is a growing consensus that self-declared age verification is outdated and ineffective, necessitating robust age verification methods to shield minors from harmful online content.
Greece’s Kids Wallet is part of a larger advocacy for stricter EU-wide protections for minors, including setting a “digital majority age” at 15, requiring explicit parental consent for social media use for those under this age. Greece also proposes mandatory parental control software on all internet-enabled devices sold in the EU, alongside advocating for “digital rights” for children, which include rights against tracking, personalization, digital identity awareness, and design fairness.
While Greece supports the Commission’s efforts, it views the current EU approach as fragmented. The Commission is poised to focus on digital fairness, particularly how addictive designs and dark patterns affect minors’ mental health, with potential legislation expected in 2026. Greece, set to preside over the Council of the EU in 2027, will be in a key position during the negotiation phase of this legislation.