EU Expands Child Safety Rules For Social Media Platforms

European Regulatory Initiatives

The European Union is preparing new measures aimed at limiting “addictive design” features used by major social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram. Speaking at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Denmark, Ursula von der Leyen said regulators are focusing on features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and push notifications, which have increasingly come under scrutiny over their impact on children and teenagers. The planned measures form part of a broader European effort to strengthen protections for minors online.

Innovative Age Verification Technologies

Alongside the proposed restrictions, the EU is also developing a new age-verification application designed to strengthen access controls for younger users. Von der Leyen described the technology as meeting some of the world’s highest privacy standards and said it is expected to integrate into digital wallets across EU member states. The system is intended to help online platforms enforce age-related restrictions more consistently across the bloc.

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Global Implications And U.S. Scrutiny

The EU’s tougher regulatory approach mirrors similar discussions taking place internationally. Australia has already introduced broad social media restrictions for users under 16, while governments in Spain, France and the United Kingdom are also considering additional child safety measures. In the United States, technology companies, including Apple, Meta and Google, continue facing growing political and legal scrutiny over the design of digital platforms used by teenagers.

Legal Landscape And Future Prospects

Recent U.S. court rulings have drawn attention to the potential effects of features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling on teenage behaviour and mental health. At the same time, investigations under the EU’s Digital Services Act have examined age-verification practices across major social media platforms, including services operated by Meta. European regulators are expected to introduce additional legal proposals as early as this summer, potentially expanding oversight of platform design and child safety requirements across the region.

Outlook

The growing regulatory pressure reflects broader international efforts to balance digital innovation with stronger protections for younger users online. As governments and technology companies continue negotiating new rules around platform design, child safety is becoming an increasingly central issue in global tech regulation.

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Cyprus Tourism Regains Its Footing After A Turbulent Spring

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 17, 2026

Cyprus’ tourism sector is showing signs of renewed stability, even as June arrivals slipped 1.7% year on year, according to Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis, who said the latest figures point to a market that has now returned to a steadier path.

The comments followed the release of new data from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat), which showed that 489,965 tourists visited the island in June 2026, down from 498,527 in the same month last year.

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A Softer First Half, But Not A Break in Momentum

For the January-to-June period, Cyprus recorded 1,656,015 tourist arrivals, representing a 10.1% decline from 1,843,013 in the first half of 2025. Even so, Koumis argued that the underlying picture was more resilient than the headline decline suggests.

He described June as “satisfactory under the circumstances,” saying it confirmed that the tourism sector had moved back onto a stable trajectory after a difficult spring. In particular, he pointed to the weaker performance in March and April, when the conflict in the Middle East weighed on travel demand and disrupted normal seasonal patterns.

“It also confirms that the actions taken by the deputy ministry, together with the entire tourism industry, to manage the extraordinary situation our country’s tourism sector faced from March 1 onwards have clearly produced improved results,” Koumis said.

Reading Beyond The Headline Numbers

The deputy minister also argued that the first-half performance, while down year on year, should be viewed in context. Arrivals in the first six months of 2026 were still 0.2% higher than during the same period in 2024, suggesting that the market has not lost its broader momentum.

“If we take into account the very significant losses recorded during March and April, which heavily influence any analysis, the first-half performance should also be considered satisfactory,” he said. “At the same time, a window of hope is opening for a further reduction in the overall decline for the current year.”

Targeted Support For Key Markets

Koumis said the government is now focusing on a deeper analysis of market trends rather than relying solely on overall arrival figures. That review, he added, has identified several geographic markets that have been affected and still require support to sustain long-term growth.

“As a government, and as the competent deputy ministry, we are certainly not stopping at simply reading the numbers,” he said. “A thorough analysis shows that several geographical markets have been affected and still require careful support to ensure their successful and uninterrupted development in the coming years.”

According to Cystat, the United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest source market in June, accounting for 33.0% of arrivals, or 161,913 visitors.

Looking Ahead To Next Year

Koumis said planning is already underway for the years ahead, with next year at the centre of the government’s coordination efforts with the tourism industry.

“We are continuing to work hard on planning for the coming years, with next year naturally at the centre of our efforts, in cooperation with the country’s tourism industry,” he said. “Our ultimate objective remains the continuation of our collective effort to transform Cyprus into a sustainable, digitally smart and accessible destination for everyone.”

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