President Nikos Christodoulides announced on Thursday that the minimum age to create accounts on social networking platforms will be set to 15, with platforms themselves enforcing the regulation.
In a social media post, he stated that “the goal is to protect children and strengthen family ties,” adding that "protecting our children in the digital environment is a top priority for our government."
Christodoulides noted that Cyprus is among EU member states swiftly adopting the European age verification proposal for online spaces. “Within the year, this proposal will be integrated into the Digital Citizen application,” he said.
The accompanying bill will define the regulation's scope, mandate age verification for users, and include transitional provisions with penalties for non-compliance.
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Cyprus as a frontrunner in integrating the new age verification app. "France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Ireland are front-runners. They are planning to integrate the app into their national wallets. And I hope more Member States and private sector will follow so that every citizen can soon use the app," she said.
The push for a Europe-wide minimum social media age follows Australia's 2025 bill, which took effect in December and set the limit at 16. Other nations have since followed: Denmark at 15, Malaysia barring those under 16, and the EU targeting under-15s.
