President Nikos Christodoulides has, together with five other European leaders - the President of France and the Prime Ministers of Greece, Spain, Slovenia and Denmark - co-signed a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in which they express their will to proceed with the establishment of a European "age of digital adulthood" for access to social media.
In a written statement, the President says that this is an initiative aimed at establishing common European principles for the minimum age of minors' access, to better protect children online.
“We must act in a decisive manner, both at national and European level, to protect our children from the challenges of the digital world, from cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content, to addictive algorithms and the misuse of technology,” President Christodoulides stresses.
He notes that protecting the mental health and well-being of our children is not an option, but a duty, adding that Europe has a responsibility towards future generations to ensure a safe, trustworthy and humane digital environment.
This initiative, he points out, is directly linked to the European Commission’s guidelines for the protection of minors, as well as to the pilot phase of the European age verification tool, in which the Republic of Cyprus is participating, along with other Member States.
This is an important step towards the creation of a safe, transparent and user-friendly digital identification system that will protect the privacy and security of every minor, he continues.
President Christodoulides says that Cyprus is actively participating in this collective European effort, strengthening Europe’s voice in favour of the protection of minors and ethical accountability in the digital space.
Referring to the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, he says that the Republic of Cyprus will highlight the safe digital transition of children as a horizontal political priority, promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence and regulating minors’ access to social media through safe, interoperable age verification solutions.
Cyprus, the President adds, aspires "to contribute to building a Europe that puts people at the centre and primarily the child, combining innovation with safety and technological progress with social responsibility."
“Because nothing is more important than the well-being, safety and mental health of our children,” he concludes.
(Source:CNA)
