Greece has launched a government-run mobile app that helps parents support an oculus connected their children’s online enactment and verify their ages connected integer platforms
ByDEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece -- In a state celebrated for its past wisdom, Greece is offering a modern solution to a pressing household challenge: empowering parents to oversee their children’s online activity.
On Monday, the authorities launched a state-operated mobile app, marking 1 of Europe’s astir assertive steps toward integer property verification.
Kids Wallet, present disposable connected iOS and Android, gives parents tools to verify their children’s ages connected integer platforms and show their browsing activity, officials said.
“This is an exertion that Greece — and Europe — needs to corroborate children’s ages erstwhile they usage societal media,” said Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou. “It volition besides service arsenic an recognition instrumentality for upcoming initiatives.”
Unlike stricter approaches adopted successful immoderate European countries, Greece has made the app’s usage voluntary, though officials reason it offers much almighty controls. The inaugural aligns with broader EU-wide efforts to standardize property verification crossed subordinate states.
The app is integrated with Greece’s authorities services platform, already wide utilized to wage taxes, navigate bureaucracy, and adjacent bargain shot tickets, and works with existing integer ID systems for adults.
Parents volition log successful utilizing their online taxation recognition credentials.
The wide property of integer consent has been acceptable astatine 15, and officials person invited large integer platforms to collaborate connected the rollout.
“Dear platforms, we inquire for your practice truthful that unneurotic we tin support children astatine a susceptible age,” Papastergiou said.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis voiced enactment for the initiative, expressing interest implicit technology’s interaction connected household life. “You spot families successful restaurants wherever parents and children are each connected their phones, and you wonderment erstwhile they really speech to each other,” helium said.
A 2024 survey by Greek probe enactment KMOP recovered that 76.6% of children aged 9–12 person net entree via idiosyncratic devices, 58.6% usage societal media daily, and 22.8% person encountered inappropriate content.
The app’s motorboat is portion of a broader acceptable of authorities measures aimed astatine curbing younker unit and aligns with EU plans to fortify online protections for minors.