The government has approved a comprehensive action plan aimed at protecting minors online, including a proposal to establish a digital age of adulthood of 15 for access to social media platforms.
The initiative was announced by Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nikodemos Damianou following Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.
New age threshold for social media
The first pillar of the government's plan proposes a minimum age of 15 years for access to social media platforms.
Under the proposal, children under that age would not be permitted to access social media services.
A draft bill is expected to be released for public consultation shortly, with the government aiming to submit the legislation to Parliament in December.
According to Damianou, responsibility for compliance will primarily rest with the social media platforms themselves, which will be required to implement reliable age-verification mechanisms.
Age verification through Digital Citizen app
The second pillar focuses on the creation of a digital age-verification system based on a technical solution currently being promoted by the European Commission.
The system is expected to be incorporated into the Digital Citizen application within the next year.
Officials say the mechanism will allow users to prove they meet age requirements without disclosing additional personal information, balancing child protection with privacy concerns.
Cyprus records highest youth social media use in EU
Announcing the measures, Damianou cited data showing that 98% of young people in Cyprus actively use social media, a figure he said is the highest recorded in the European Union.
He said the government's objective is to address the risks associated with social media use among children and adolescents through a structured and multi-layered approach.
Education and awareness campaign
The third pillar of the action plan centres on education and awareness for children, parents and teachers.
Measures include:
- Revision of school curricula to place greater emphasis on safe and constructive internet use.
- Training programmes for teachers on digital safety issues.
- Targeted awareness campaigns, workshops and seminars for students, parents and educators.
- Strengthening reporting and response mechanisms for incidents involving minors online.
Government says self-regulation is no longer enough
Damianou said protecting children in the digital environment can no longer depend solely on platform self-regulation or on the individual responsibility of parents and young users.
He stressed that children's safety, rights and wellbeing remain a non-negotiable priority for the government.
The deputy minister added that the action plan will be continuously updated to reflect technological developments and new European initiatives relating to the digital protection of minors.
