Greece to present EU plan to tackle child internet addiction

The initiative that Greece has adopted, alongside France and Spain, to address the problem of children's addiction to the internet is to be presented to EU telecommunications ministers in Luxembourg on June 6, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said on Wednesday, talking to ERT public television.

He noted that many countries have expressed interest in the groundbreaking Greek initiative, which was then adopted by France and Spain. The aim was to establish a common European "age of digital majority" and a regulatory framework that will ensure age-appropriate design for digital platforms, as well as verification of the age of users by platforms so that they do not deliver inappropriate content to minors.

Noting that it was an initiative "embraced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis", Papastergiou reported keen interest from a great many countries and said that the presentation in June is taking place so that Europe can proceed to take the necessary action as quickly as possible.

He particularly emphasised the "Kids Wallet" that allows parents to control which hours, which websites and the overall time spent by their children on the internet, as well as the social media they use.

"It does not eavesdrop on children's conversations nor read their messages but places limits, in collaboration with parents," he said.

Papastergiou also referred to the personal number, saying this aimed to simplify the citizens' transactions with the public sector and the ongoing citizens' evaluation of state services, saying it was "important to hear the voice of the citizens for improving the services provided".

AMNA