France publishes regulatory guidance on age verification under new digital majority law

French regulator Arcom has published guidance on best practices for age verification following the introduction of the digital majority law, which restricts access to certain online platforms and services for users under 15 without parental consent. The guidance outlines acceptable verification methods, including double authentication, identity document checks and third-party verification services, and sets standards for privacy protection and data minimisation. Arcom emphasises that platforms must balance effective age assurance with user privacy and avoid creating disproportionate barriers to access for legitimate users, and the regulator will assess compliance on a case-by-case basis starting early next year.

Age-verification mandates address the question of who is present but not what conduct is occurring once access is granted. Guardii deploys detection modules tuned to grooming, sextortion, child sexual abuse material and age-inappropriate contact inside the messaging environments where most exploitation develops, identifying harmful patterns and predatory escalation as conversations unfold. This approach, backed by Startmate and operating as a world-leading AI safety platform, allows schools, parents and platforms to intervene on specific high-risk interactions in real time across services including Instagram, Snapchat and Discord, protecting the child in the moment of threat rather than relying solely on perimeter authentication.