EU Age Verification App Available Amid Social Media Access Push

The European Union’s age verification application for online platforms is ready and will soon be available for use. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the app will help address concerns about children’s access to social media. Member states are actively pursuing plans to limit minors’ social media engagement.

Credit: UNSPLASH

A growing number of European nations are considering their own restrictions, following Australia’s social media ban for children. Concerns are mounting over social media’s impact on the health and safety of minors.

“We are moving ahead with full speed and determination on the enforcement of our European rules,” von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels. She added, “We are holding accountable those online platforms that do not protect our kids enough.”

The app will be compatible with both mobile devices and computers, von der Leyen explained. Users will upload their passport or ID card to confirm their age anonymously.

“This app gives parents, teachers, caretakers a powerful tool to protect children,” von der Leyen stated. She emphasised, “Because we will have zero tolerance for companies that do not respect our children’s rights.”

At least a dozen European countries, including Britain and Norway, have enacted or are considering legislation. These laws typically set minimum age limits, often between 13 and 16 years, for social media usage.

Speaking at the same press conference, the EU’s digital chief Henna Virkkunen outlined plans to establish a European coordination mechanism. This mechanism aims to ensure age verification is implemented consistently across various national schemes.

The Commission has been developing a harmonised digital verification system since last year. Governments face technical challenges in controlling children’s access to restricted online content.

For instance, Australia saw a significant increase in virtual private network (VPN) downloads after introducing its social media ban. Users employed VPNs to bypass the measure and access restricted platforms.

A senior Commission official acknowledged that the EU’s age verification system can be bypassed via a VPN. However, the official noted that the initiative is not aimed at policing people online.

“The app is the kind of barrier that avoids unintended exposure of kids,” the official said. While no EU-wide binding legislation has been adopted yet, the European Parliament approved a resolution report in November calling for a minimum age of 16 for social media access across all member states.

A final decision on potential EU legislation will be made once a special panel on child safety online files its recommendations this summer, a senior Commission official added.

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• The European Union’s age verification app for online platforms is ready and nearing release.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the app empowers parents and educators to protect children.

• The app allows anonymous age confirmation through passport or ID card uploads.

Source: REUTERS

Chinese Firms Drive Quadruped Robot Market Growth, Revenue Targets

Chinese robotics companies are increasingly focusing on quadruped robots as a primary revenue driver. This trend is highlighted by AgiBot’s recent decision to establish a new subsidiary, AgiQuad, and Amap’s forthcoming launch of a quadruped model.

Credit: AGIBOT

Shanghai-based AgiQuad, a new separate subsidiary under AgiBot, has targeted 500 million yuan (US$73 million) in revenue for 2026. By 2030, it aimed to reach 10 billion yuan in revenue and 300,000 units in annual shipments, according to a report by the official media outlet Securities Times.

Qiu Heng, chief operating officer of the new subsidiary, stated that AgiBot’s move was intended to drive large-scale growth for the unit. Qiu said at a media briefing last week that the unit would not “live in the shadow of the humanoid robot giant.”

AgiBot’s original portfolio included four divisions: the Yuanzheng commercial humanoid, the wheeled and dual-armed Genie, the compact Lingxi humanoid for consumers, and the AgiQuad quadruped unit.

Qiu noted a strong demand for AgiQuad’s products, stating that the company was struggling to maintain stock. He was quoted by Shanghai Securities Times as saying, “Our mid-sized quadruped robots are not here today because they are completely sold out, and there is no stock left in the warehouse.”

The booming quadruped robot market is also attracting new entrants. Alibaba Group Holding’s digital mapping platform Amap is set to release a quadruped robot, the first such product from the e-commerce giant, according to a Tuesday report by Sina Tech.

Hangzhou-based Unitree and Deep Robotics have long dominated the sector, establishing their market presence through four-legged machines. Unitree led the global market with 32.4% in 2024, followed by Deep Robotics at 18.9%, according to IDC data.

Unitree’s quadruped robot profitability has improved, with gross margins rising to 55.5% in the first nine months of 2025, up from 42.4% in 2022, per its initial public offering prospectus. The company sold 17,946 quadruped units in the first three quarters of 2025, generating 490 million yuan in revenue.

Deep Robotics, the second biggest player, was estimated to have shipped around 10,000 units last year, according to the report by Shanghai Securities Times.

The global quadruped robot market was valued at approximately US$180 million in 2024, with total shipments nearing 20,000 units, IDC reported. The research firm estimated that in 2026 China’s quadruped robot market value would exceed US$700 million.

Qiu predicted that the Chinese market for quadruped robot hardware could reach approximately 50 billion yuan by 2030. When including the broader supply chain, software, and services, this figure is expected to hit 100 billion yuan, Securities Times reported.

Consumer models, primarily for education and entertainment, comprised 72.1% of shipments in 2024, according to IDC. However, commercial robots commanded significantly higher per-unit value due to more advanced technical requirements, according to IDC.

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• Chinese firms are increasingly banking on quadruped robots as key revenue drivers.

• AgiBot's new subsidiary, AgiQuad, targets US$73 million in revenue for 2026.

• Unitree and Deep Robotics currently lead the global quadruped robot market.

Source: SCMP

Amazon Unveils AI Tool for Accelerated Drug Discovery

Amazon's cloud unit on Tuesday launched Amazon Bio Discovery, an artificial intelligence application designed to accelerate early-stage drug discovery. It allows scientists to execute complex computational workflows without needing to write code.

Credit: AWS

Amazon Bio Discovery provides researchers access to a library of specialised biological foundation models. These models can generate and evaluate potential drug molecules, along with an AI agent that assists users in selecting models, setting parameters, and interpreting results.

Researchers can send shortlisted candidates to integrated lab partners for synthesis and testing. Results are then routed back into the system to guide subsequent rounds of design.

Drugmakers and technology organisations have increased efforts to use AI to speed up drug development. Rajiv Chopra, vice president of healthcare AI and life sciences at AWS, told Reuters that the rapid rise of drug-discovery models has turned computational biologists who translate lab goals into machine-learning pipelines into a bottleneck.

Bayer, the Broad Institute, and Voyager Therapeutics are among the early adopters of Amazon Bio Discovery. Amazon Web Services also noted that 19 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies already use its cloud services.

In a collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the platform utilised multiple models to generate nearly 300,000 novel antibody molecules. These were then narrowed to 100,000 candidates for lab testing by partner Twist Bioscience, compressing work that can take months into weeks.

Chopra stated the service is intended to augment, not replace, scientists and contract research organisations. Jefferies analyst Tycho Peterson indicated that fears of AI reducing the need for instruments in drug research are largely overblown.

Peterson added there is scope to increase spending on tools as the pace and returns for research programmes rise. AWS, Boston Consulting Group, and Merck will also unveil an AI platform at AWS's Life Science Symposium. This platform aims at improving clinical trial site selection, a common bottleneck in drug development.

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• Amazon's cloud unit launched Amazon Bio Discovery, an AI application for early-stage drug discovery.

• The tool allows scientists to run complex computational workflows without writing code, using specialised biological foundation models.

• Early adopters include Bayer, the Broad Institute, and Voyager Therapeutics.

Source: REUTERS