Croatia develops digital age verification to protect children

Croatia is developing new measures to protect children in the digital environment, focusing on age verification systems. Damir Habijan, the Minister of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation, stated that child protection in cyberspace is a government priority.

The initiative aligns with the upcoming European Union KIDS Act, which aims to establish unified rules for social media, video-sharing platforms, online games, app stores, and AI chatbots. The goal is to prevent regulatory fragmentation across EU member states.

A proposed age verification model utilizes the ‘mGrađani’ mobile application. This system, currently used for the online sale of alcohol and energy drinks, allows users to confirm adulthood with a single click. The merchant receives only a confirmation of whether the user meets the age requirement without accessing personal data. Currently, the system is in use by 60 merchants, with over 2,100 verification attempts recorded.