A bill setting 15 as the minimum age for access to social media is expected to go before the House of Representatives in December, Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Deputy Minister Nicodemos Damianou has said, adding that Cyprus intends to incorporate an age-verification mechanism into its Digital Citizen app.
Speaking to CNA, Damianou said setting an age limit was one aspect of the issue, while ensuring that social media platforms could enforce it effectively was another.
“Platforms will have to implement appropriate mechanisms capable of verifying a person’s age and confirming that they are above the prescribed age limit, without storing other personal data,” he said, adding that the legislation would specify the platforms’ responsibilities.
At the same time, Cyprus is awaiting the final form of the EU Kids Act announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he said.
The European Commission has also proposed the EU Age Verification Blueprint, in whose development Cyprus is participating and which the government intends to incorporate into Digital Citizen.
“We believe this will be the best possible solution for implementing the regulation from a technical point of view. This, however, will take time,” Damianou said.
Until then, responsibility would rest with the platforms to operate their own age-verification mechanisms. He said the legislation was expected to give them several months to adapt.
During that period, existing users would also have to undergo age checks so platforms could ensure that users who joined before such mechanisms were introduced also meet the age requirement.
“This cannot happen overnight,” Damianou said, noting that an individual country had considerably less leverage over major platforms than the EU acting collectively.
Age-gating mechanisms
He said collective EU action would put greater pressure on platforms to introduce age-gating mechanisms, warning that failure to do so could trigger provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
“If Europe says this collectively — and this is the direction in which yesterday’s announcement by the Commission President is moving — the pressure on the platforms to implement it becomes much stronger,” he said.
Following the Commission’s announcement of its intention to introduce an EU Kids Act, Cyprus is now waiting to see how much scope member states will have to set their own age limits or whether the EU will follow a different approach, Damianou said.
A large number of member states have either begun preparing legislation, as Cyprus has, or are discussing such measures in their national legislatures, he added.
He said the Commission President’s announcement reflected a broader European trend towards restricting access to social media below a certain age.
According to Damianou, the framework outlined by the Commission President would bar children under 13 from social media altogether. Those aged 13 to 15 would have access to a limited account, with restrictions on functions and access time, while special provisions would apply to users aged 15 to 18 to ensure that platforms provide age-appropriate content.
Advanced stage
Turning to Cyprus’ bill, Damianou said work was at an advanced stage.
“Our objective is for it to go before the House of Representatives in December this year,” he said.
Before then, a public consultation will be held through the Voice of the Citizen platform, while targeted consultations will also take place with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will also be carried out by the Commissioner for Children’s Rights to examine the scientific aspects of the issue.
These processes will run in parallel with the drafting of the legislation and their findings will be taken into account, along with any further details emerging from the European Commission, Damianou said.
He added that the government was following through on its commitment, made at the beginning of the year, to introduce limits and bring what he described as a serious issue to the forefront.
Damianou said that only a few voices within the European Council had supported restrictions on social media use a year ago.
However, he said there had been a major shift among member states over the past six months, amid the rapid development of algorithms and concerns over the addictive behaviour associated with social media use.
“Almost all of Europe is now expressing its intention to proceed with relevant legislation,” he said.
(Source: CNA)
