Better Internet for Kids

Here, we take an in-depth look at the latest monitoring information for Cyprus.

In Cyprus, the implementation of the BIK+ strategy is a key focus for authorities and agencies responsible for child protection and safe internet use. Key national strategies detailed below draw extensively on BIK+.

BIK policies

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

Policy frameworks

Policy frameworks describe the overarching approach for a better internet, and establish the underlying goals, principles and guidelines that shape individual policies within this area.

In Cyprus:

• This topic is comprehensively addressed with children’s online protection, digital empowerment and digital participation incorporated into national/regional laws, regulations and policies.
• There are separate, dedicated policies which address the topic of children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• The BIK/BIK+ strategy is very important at the national level and is explicitly referenced in national policies on children and the digital environment.
• National/regional policies and policy documents explicitly recognise children's rights in the digital environment.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key national policy frameworks in Cyprus.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy design

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

• Surveys of children’s digital activities are undertaken, but only irregularly.
• Surveys of children’s experiences of risks, harms and digital well-being are undertaken on an ad-hoc and irregular basis.
• Systems are in place at the government level to gather information on children and the digital environment.
• Existing national research funding is available for research on children and the digital environment, but this is not explicitly specified.
• Policies undergo systematic and regular monitoring and evaluation to assess the effectiveness of actions in different contexts and to take account of new technologies or emergent risks.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on recent national research studies in Cyprus.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy governance

Policy governance examines how policies are coordinated at the governmental level, whether other implementation bodies are involved in their delivery, and whether structured mechanisms are available to guide their implementation. 

• There is one central body (e.g., a central ministry office, public agency, or regulatory authority) formally mandated to lead and develop policies, guidelines, and programmes related to children and the digital environment.
• A clearly defined coordination function is in place, involving all relevant stakeholders and encompassing the cross-cutting policy issues relating to children and the digital environment.
• There is a defined national action plan for children and the digital environment with accountabilities such as defined timelines, assigned responsibilities, or key performance indicators (KPIs).

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key policy governance mechanisms in Cyprus.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires how different stakeholders can participate in policy development. Children’s involvement in policy-making is one such key issue. Additionally, international knowledge exchange about children's digital participation is also relevant to this topic.

• Various ad hoc multistakeholder groups exist across different branches of government, in which stakeholders may contribute to policy deliberation and development.
• Members of the public are consulted only when new policies are being developed.
• Children are listened to directly in the policy development process (e.g., through hearings, consultations, specific surveys) but are not formally involved in decision-making.

BIK+ actions

Pillar 1 – safe digital experiences

Safe digital experiences refer to actions taken to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact, and risks as young consumers and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment created in a way that respects children’s best interests.

Implementing EU laws

• In Cyprus, the Cyprus Radio Television Authority (CRTA) serves as the Digital Services Coordinator, while the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy is the designated authority responsible for implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA includes provisions aimed at protecting minors in the digital environment, specifically in Articles 14, 28, 34, and 35. Cyprus has passed legislation to implement the DSA.

Harmful online content

• Cyprus does not have specific definitions or classifications of harmful online content included in national laws, regulations or policies. However, the Cyprus Safer Internet Centre (SIC), which operates as part of the European Commission's Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) initiative, plays a key role in defining and addressing harmful content. Also, the DSA, implemented in Cyprus, provides a framework for regulating harmful content online, with specific provisions on the protection of minors and the management of illegal online content.
• The legal framework that governs the prevention and combating of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children, and child pornography is established in Law 91(I)/2014.

Harmful online conduct

• In Cyprus, protection against intimate image abuse, also known as ‘revenge porn’ and ‘non-consensual sharing of personal images,’ is covered by various laws and regulations related to privacy protection, data protection, and prevention of bullying.
• Relevant laws include:
  • Law 138(I)/2012: Prevention and Combating of Family Violence Law.
  • Law 144(I)/2007: Regulation of the Provision of Electronic Services Law.
  • Law 38(I)/2014: Protection of Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in Pornography Law.

Age verification

• The laws concerning the identification of potentially harmful content in Cyprus do not specify or legally require age verification mechanisms to restrict access to adult content for minors.
• Digital identity systems available for minors are not currently available in Cyprus.

Commercial content

• The Cyprus Advertising Council (CAC) provides a non-statutory self-regulatory code of conduct that includes guidelines for advertising practices. This code is widely followed by advertisers and digital marketers, including those involved in influencer-based marketing. The code aims to ensure transparency, fairness, and protection of consumers, including the clear identification of commercial content.
• While there is no specific law focused solely on influencer marketing, the Consumer Protection Law of 2021 (Law 112(I)/2021) (CPL) includes provisions that relate to unfair commercial practices, which would encompass misleading or deceptive influencer-based marketing if influencers fail to clearly disclose paid promotions or advertising.

Mental health and well-being

• Various initiatives are in place dedicated to protecting children’s mental health and well-being online. The Cyprus Safer Internet Centre provides services such as the Helpline for children and parents, offering support on issues like cyberbullying and harmful content.
• Schools incorporate digital literacy and online safety lessons into their curricula, educating children about the risks of online activity, including mental health challenges such as cyberbullying and the effects of excessive screen time.
• Mental health professionals (e.g., Educational Psychology Service) are trained to assist children dealing with online-related mental health issues, providing support for problems like cyberbullying or anxiety related to online interactions.

Pillar 2 – digital empowerment

Digital empowerment incorporates actions so that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, acquire the necessary skills and competences to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.

Supports in online safety education

• Teaching online safety has been fully incorporated into the national/regional school curriculum.
• The topic New Technologies (Harnessing digital technologies for learning)
  is spread over 16 teaching periods in grade 5 and 16 teaching periods in grade 6 and includes 3 teaching units: i. Computational Thinking, ii. digital skills; and iii. Digital Literacy.
• In Cyprus, there are national strategies to support online safety policies in schools. These include a clear policy for cyberbullying incidents.
• In Cyprus, several national and regional activities reinforce informal education about online safety. These include public awareness campaigns, workshops and training programmes, online resources and guides, and partnerships and collaborations. The Cyprus Safer Internet Centre, operated by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and other partners, is one of the main supporting bodies.
• The CYberSafety partners, including the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, Cyprus University of Technology, University of Cyprus, Digital Security Authority, Cyprus Telecommunication Authority, and Pancyprian School of Parents, offer a range of national activities to develop and promote peer-to-peer training and support programmes in online safety. These include workshops, conferences, seminars, trainings and experiential activities in summer camps.

Digital literacy skills to empower young people

• Digital Skills – Cyprus National Action Plan 2021-2025 - a comprehensive and comprehensive action plan to enhance digital skills, which is developed in three (3) main axes: upgrading the digital skills of the general population, enhancing the skills of the public and private workforce, with particular reference to ICT specialists, and developing expanded digital competence within the education system.
• The Υouth Coaches programme is an initiative that aims to empower children to take the lead in promoting online safety and digital awareness in their communities.

Pillar 3 – active participation, respecting children’s rights

Active participation, respecting children’s rights, refers to actions which give children and young people a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.

Active participation

• The Cyprus Youth Council supports young people with opportunities to participate in formal decision-making bodies at various levels of governance, including local councils, advisory committees, and national youth councils.
• The CYberSafety Youth Panel of Cyprus, which operates as part of the European project ‘Cyprus Safer Internet Centre - CYberSafety – Better Internet for Kids', aims to enable knowledge and experience sharing among participants, make suggestions and take actions regarding the creative and safe use of digital technologies and the internet.
• The CYberSafety Youth Panel Cyprus team for 2023-2024 was composed of 40 members of the Cyprus Children’s Parliament, members of the Teenage Advisers’ Group of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, and students from the Young Coaches for the Internet programme. The Children's Parliament consults children on BIK policy issues and activities. However, there are no specific arrangements for children to participate in the design of BIK policies.

Supporting children’s rights

• Cyprus doesn't have specific laws mandating youth participation in decision-making bodies at the national or regional level. However, efforts to involve young people in decision-making processes have been growing globally, including in Cyprus. Efforts to promote better awareness of children's rights in relation to the digital environment have been ongoing.

Digital inclusion

• In Cyprus, several national and regional activities aim to address digital inequalities that negatively impact children’s ability to participate in the digital environment.
• The Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth) implements several actions aiming to contribute to the development of digital skills for in-service teachers and students. These include the Innovative Schools and Educational Coaches programme, the Young Coaches for the Internet programme, eSafe Schools, and Recording Memory.
• The Strengthening the Cyprus Safer Internet Use Network (SAFI) brings together various agencies involved in the protection of children and adolescents on the internet. Efforts to strengthen SAFI include developing action plans, sharing best practices, and fostering partnerships to address cybersecurity challenges. 

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for some best practice examples from Cyprus.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ index 2025: Cyprus

The BIK+ index has been developed to provide an aggregated at-a-glance overview of the levels of implementation across the two dimensions, BIK policies and BIK+ actions, in Cyprus compared to the EU27+2 average. Values are shown in per cent.

Please note, the data used in this page and the corresponding country profile was collected in February 2025.