Starting 12 November, online platforms in Italy offering content banned to minors — including pornography, gambling, alcohol and cigarette sales — must implement an age-verification system, the national regulator Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) announced on Friday.
The new rules stem from the so-called “Decreto Caivano”, enacted in November 2023, which added Article 13-bis to Legislative Decree 123/2023 and converted into Law 159/2023. That legislation prohibits minors from accessing pornographic content and tasks AGCOM with defining the technical and procedural methods for verifying users’ ages.
Under the regulation, adopted via AGCOM’s Resolution No. 96/25/CONS in May 2025, platforms will have six months from notification to comply. The system is designed to operate in two phases for each session of access to restricted services: first the user must be identified by a certified third-party; then the user must authenticate for the specific session. The approach also allows for age-verification via apps (for example digital identity wallets) installed on users’ devices.
To protect personal data and privacy, AGCOM mandates a “double anonymity” mechanism. Firstly, verified age proofs contain no personally identifying information. Secondly, the verification provider cannot know what service the proof is for, while the website/platform cannot access user identity details.
The regulation follows a public consultation launched in March 2024 and includes key principles such as proportionality, data protection, security, accuracy, accessibility and non-discrimination.
If platforms fail to comply, AGCOM has the power to block access to the non-compliant site under Article 1, paragraph 31 of Law 249/1997.
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Part of wider EU developments
The new rules are also part of wider EU developments. Italy is participating in testing an EU-wide age-verification app, developed under the Digital Services Act (DSA) framework, planned to roll out ahead of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
For Italian users and operators of adult-content sites, the countdown is now on. Platforms must ensure that age-verification systems are in place and functioning by mid-November or face potential enforcement action by the regulator.
