It's not _completely_ shrouded in mystery - it started after Facebook got slapped by the EU for irresponsible handling of underage users, and since began a heavily funded lobbying push to drag competitors down with them. https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings...

Of course, it's probably also been coopted by the neverending stream of nanny-state political power grabs in both the US and EU.

I asked META itself:

The push for online age verification started gaining momentum globally, with several countries implementing regulations. Here's a brief timeline:

- 2022: The European Union introduced the Digital Services Act (DSA), establishing a framework for digital services accountability and content moderation.

- 2023:

    - *France*: Passed a law requiring age verification for social media and porn websites.

    - *UK*: Enacted the Online Safety Act, requiring "highly effective" age assurance for platforms accessible to children.

- 2024:

    - *Australia*: Announced plans to ban social media for under-16s.

    - *Italy*: Implemented mandatory age verification for sensitive content websites.

- 2025:

    - *Denmark*: Proposed banning social media for under-15s.

    - *Malaysia*: Required social media platforms to ban users under 16.

- 2026:

    - *EU*: Rolling out digital age verification across member states.

    - *Norway*: Proposed banning social media for under-15s.

    - *Spain*: Announced plans to ban social media access for under-16s.

It's true for a lot of things in Western countries.

Evident when the fight against "hate" was suddenly everywhere, and also during covid.

Politicians looks to each other. There’s nothing new in that.