Source: in-cyprus.philenews.com
European lawmakers have backed stricter age controls for children on social media, whilst Cyprus joins a pilot programme testing verification technology that could enforce such restrictions across the bloc.
MEPs approved a non-legislative resolution on 26 November with 483 votes in favour, 92 against and 86 abstentions, calling for stronger protection of minors from manipulative online practices.
The resolution urged the EU to set a minimum age of 16 years, following Australia’s example of implementing a complete ban for users in that age group.
Cyprus joined the EU’s age verification pilot project in October 2025, becoming the sixth member state alongside France, Denmark, Greece, Italy and Spain.
The system links to national population registry systems and will be integrated into Cyprus’s “Digital Citizen” application, according to the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy.
The mechanism requires verification through users’ mobile phones, though access to digital services can occur from any device once mobile verification is complete.
The deputy ministry said the system can be applied across all digital environments requiring age verification before providing online services, not just social media platforms.
France, Germany and Italy have already implemented stricter rules with parental consent requirements and age limits.
Current age controls on most social networks rely on users providing basic proof such as date of birth, which can easily be bypassed or falsely declared, the deputy ministry said.
The ministry is working on technical specifications for national implementation, with first complete conclusions from Cyprus’s pilot participation expected within the first half of 2026.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has convened an expert committee to examine the issue.
Cyprus has made child protection a priority of its upcoming EU Presidency to maintain momentum on the matter. Discussions focus on mandatory age verification mechanisms and establishing a digital age of majority for using digital platforms and services.
Dimitra Nicolaou Anastasiou, an educational psychologist at the Ministry of Education, said age restrictions can function protectively but don’t solve the problem alone and may have opposite effects when controls cannot be properly enforced.
She said age limits can serve as a useful “crutch” for parents to convey clearly that social media requires boundaries.
Research links early and uncontrolled exposure to social networks with sleep deprivation, concentration difficulties and intense social comparison, Nicolaou said.
However, available scientific data doesn’t support that social media alone causes mental disorders, with meta-analyses showing a small effect.
The real risk factors are neglect, abuse, family difficulties, inequalities, economic pressure and absence of stable support structures, she said.
Social media can function as a mechanism for “filling the void” when real relationships, values and meaning are absent from a child’s life.
Nicolaou said safeguards are more realistic than total bans when prohibition cannot be properly enforced. Young people often find ways to bypass age controls, create fake accounts or use other devices, she said.
When bans don’t work, children continue using platforms but now secretly, avoiding sharing risks and remaining completely alone in dangerous situations such as cyberbullying, harassment, photo blackmail, exposure to harmful content, dangerous challenges and misinformation.
Australia chose an under-16 ban but simultaneously applies combined measures including stricter age verification by platforms and long-term research on mental health effects, Nicolaou said, showing no ban is effective without a supportive framework and monitoring.
The deputy ministry said no technological or regulatory solution is sufficient alone, requiring collective responsibility and cooperation from digital platforms.
For age verification to be effective, online platforms must provide reliable age verification for all users rather than relying on self-declaration, it said.