Nicosia: The Council of Ministers approved on Wednesday an Action Plan for the Protection of Minors on Social Media. Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, said after the meeting that this is an important decision and noted that the Council of Ministers proposes the establishment of the age of 15 years as the minimum age limit below which access to Social Media will not be permitted.

According to Cyprus News Agency, Damianou highlighted that 98% of young people in Cyprus actively use social media, stressing that this is the highest percentage in the EU. He also mentioned data from international organizations show that increased use of social media is associated with addictive behavior, neglect of other activities, conflicts with the familiar environment, and other negative impacts on everyday life.

International experience, Damianou emphasized, demonstrates that the protection of minors on the internet can no longer be based exclusively on the self-regulation of platforms or the individual responsibility of young people or parents.

The Action Plan is based on three main pillars. The first pillar concerns the establishment of a 'digital age of majority' at the national level. With today's decision, the Council of Ministers proposes the establishment of the age of 15 years as the minimum age limit below which access to Social Media will not be permitted. The relevant bill will be presented for public consultation in the immediate future, with the aim to submit it before the House of Representatives next December.

Based on the bill, the Deputy Minister stated that the main responsibility for compliance will lie with the platforms themselves, which will be required to install reliable age verification mechanisms, incorporating the proposed European solution when it is finalized.

Referring to the second pillar, Damianou said that it concerns the development of a digital age verification mechanism, based on the technical solution proposed by the European Commission (EU Age Verification Blueprint).

The third pillar focuses on education and awareness-raising of society, namely children, parents, and teachers. Damianou stressed that the success of this effort requires the cooperation of everyone, including the state, the educational community, parents, civil society, and the digital platforms themselves.

The Deputy Minister noted that the safety, rights, and well-being of every child are a non-negotiable priority for the government. "We are proceeding immediately and consistently with its implementation, so that every child can utilize the possibilities of the digital world with safety, knowledge, and protection," he concluded.