Poland to introduce digital ID checks for minors on social platforms
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Poland’s government is preparing legislation to restrict minors’ access to social media, alongside new mechanisms to enforce age verification, a deputy digital affairs minister said.
Dariusz Standerski told broadcaster Polsat News last week that the country should introduce rules limiting young people’s social media use, although the precise age threshold will be set after expert consultations and public debate. “We should introduce such a provision,” Standerski said. “I am not deciding from what age.”
Officials are developing a technical system to verify users’ ages, going beyond self-declaration. Under the plan, users would confirm their age via a digital identity wallet, transmitting only proof that they meet the required age, with a focus on secure data handling. Standerski noted that similar tools are being tested in other European Union countries, and Poland is collaborating with those states on implementation.
Updating Poland’s online content regulations
In the same interview, Standerski discussed a separate, politically sensitive bill aimed at enforcing the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which obliges platforms to address illegal content and manage systemic risks online.
The proposed amendments would give Polish authorities clearer powers to compel the removal of illegal material, covering criminal threats, encouragement to suicide, child exploitation, propaganda for totalitarian ideologies, hate speech, copyright infringement, and illegal sales of goods and services. Oversight would be split among three regulators: the Office of Electronic Communications, the National Broadcasting Council, and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
Poland currently lacks a fully effective legal framework to remove illegal content. Standerski cited a recent case in which death threats against the President were posted online; the post disappeared only after the author deleted it, while authorities had no formal tools to act.
The amendments have sparked debate, with President Karol Nawrocki previously describing the law as overregulation that could restrict free expression online. Lawmakers subsequently removed a fast-track enforcement clause, meaning content could only be blocked after a court ruling. Standerski argued this ensures judicial oversight in determining the legality of online material.
