Filenews 10 October 2025
Cyprus has joined the pilot project to develop a secure and interoperable solution for verifying users' age online, a key initiative of the European Commission that aims to protect minors from harmful digital content, and in particular on social media. The decision was announced by the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr. Nikodimos Damianou, during the Informal Telecommunications Council of the European Union (EU), held today in Denmark.
The protection of children online is not only a regulatory need, but also a moral obligation of states, said the Deputy Minister, and it is time to focus on the mechanisms to implement it. "Today, our children remain virtually unprotected," he stressed, adding that they are exposed to harmful, addictive and often illegal content every day, with serious consequences for their mental health, well-being and learning progress. "The Cypriot Government considers it necessary to set a 'digital adulthood limit', a clear age below which access to social networks and other digital services is not allowed, and this is something we are seriously considering at the national level," he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, the participation of Cyprus in this pilot European program reflects the political will of the country to promote a coherent, common protection policy at EU level. The protection of minors online is a particularly sensitive and topical issue, and will continue to be a top priority in the context of the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, underlined Dr. Damianou.
In the framework of the Council, a Ministerial Declaration was also signed supporting the assessment of the introduction of a Digital Adulthood Age Limit, the implementation of age verification mechanisms and the establishment of standards for safe digital environments, calling for concerted efforts towards a safe and appropriate digital environment for minors.
PtD: New initiatives underway at national level
The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, also took a position on the issue, who in a post on social media, stressed that "there is nothing more important than the well-being, mental health and safety of our children".
As he wrote, "our country is taking an active role in ensuring a safer digital world for our children:
- We announced today that the Republic of Cyprus will participate in the EU Age Verification Pilot Project, a major initiative of the European Commission to protect children from harmful and addictive online content.
- We are acting decisively, with new initiatives underway, at the national level and together with other EU 🇪🇺 member states, but also in the context of the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, to ensure a safer digital world for our children."
''Nothing is more important. Cyprus is changing," he concluded.
