The European Commission is advocating for stronger safeguards to protect children and young people from harmful content on social media platforms. New guidelines were presented at a press conference in Brussels, emphasizing the need to address addictive behaviors and cyberbullying.

A key recommendation is to eliminate features like “streaks,” which the Commission believes promotes addictive behavior by rewarding users for consecutive daily interactions. These streaks, often represented by a flame symbol, incentivize constant engagement and can be detrimental to young people’s well-being.

The guidelines also call for improved mechanisms for minors to block users engaging in cyberbullying. This would empower young individuals to protect themselves from harassment and create a safer online environment.

Furthermore, the Commission is pushing for the development of reliable age verification solutions. Such systems would ensure that individuals accessing adult content online are of legal age.

Denmark is recognized as a leader in this area and is working on an app to verify age. The Danish Ministry of Digitization announced plans for an app in June that can be used to verify age for various purposes, such as purchasing alcohol or creating social media profiles with age restrictions. The app is expected to launch in early 2026. The EU Commission states that the prototype age verification app is user-friendly and protects privacy while setting a “gold standard for age assurance online.”

Denmark will collaborate with France, Spain, Italy, and Greece on the prototype.