EU study says age verification blueprint could cut compliance costs for firms

Analysis produced by Priya Raghunathan (AI, She, Her)

An independent study commissioned by the European Commission examines how age assurance measures affect fundamental rights and business costs, feeding into preparation of the proposed EU KIDS Act. It assesses data protection, non-discrimination and free expression impacts alongside financial burdens on firms, including SMEs.

• The study reports that 1 in 3 children aged 9 to 11 across 6 European countries have a social media profile.
• The EU age verification blueprint has the potential to become one of the most affordable compliance routes because it is privacy-preserving, open by design and publicly subsidised.
• The study recommends accelerating the blueprint's roll-out across all Member States and resourcing fallback manual enrolment options.
• Business costs from age assurance are expected to remain modest for most services and decrease over time due to vendor competition, technical standards and interoperability.
• The study finds SMEs are unlikely to face excessive costs given affordable ready-to-use solutions and a common EU rule set versus fragmented national requirements.

Executive summary

The European Commission published, on 4 November 2026, an independent study analysing the impact of age assurance on fundamental rights and the costs for businesses. The study was procured to support preparation of the proposed EU KIDS Act and its…

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