Cyprus proposes a minimum age of 15 for social media — Cyprus Mail
The Cypriot government has proposed setting the minimum age for access to social media at 15. The initiative was included in the Action Plan for the Protection of Minors on Social Media, which was approved by the country’s Council of Ministers this week. Legislative and implementation decisions are still required for the restrictions to take effect.
As Cyprus Mail reports, countries are increasingly moving away from the practice of users entering their own date of birth during registration. Authorities seek to place responsibility for age verification and the safety of minors on platforms.
Different restriction models
Australia has introduced the strictest approach: since December 10, 2025, platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure that citizens under the age of 16 do not create or retain accounts. The rules cover Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Reddit and Kick, among others. Australian authorities said that shortly after the restrictions were introduced, platforms terminated access to 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under 16.
At the same time, online gaming services and certain messaging apps are not included on Australia’s list. Responsibility for compliance rests with companies rather than children or their parents.
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Approaches in Europe differ. Greece plans an age threshold of 15, while Spain and Norway are considering a threshold of 16, and Austria is considering 14 for social media with algorithmic feeds. Denmark supports a general age limit of 15 but proposes allowing parents to give consent for children aged 13–14 to use certain platforms.
European Commission proposals
The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act for all 27 EU member states. Under the Commission’s plan, children under 13 would be prohibited from using social media. Users aged 13 and 14 would only be able to have limited “mini-accounts,” created and controlled by parents, with limits on features and usage time.
From age 15, teenagers could create their own accounts, but platforms would still have to comply with safe-design requirements for users under 18. The proposal also provides for restrictions on potentially addictive mechanisms, including infinite scrolling, profiling-based recommendations and reward systems. The bill still needs to be agreed by EU governments and the European Parliament.
Methods being considered for age verification include digital identification, document checks, age estimation based on facial images and analysis of account data. At the same time, regulators are seeking solutions that could confirm that a person has reached a certain age without disclosing the user’s identity.
