Greece introduces a government app to restrict kids’ screen time.
The app “Kids Wallet,” developed by the Greek government, allows parents to monitor their children’s online activities. The parents are also asked to verify the children’s age when they are using the internet.
SocietyGreece
The app “Kids Wallet,” developed by the Greek government, allows parents to monitor their children’s online activities. The parents are also asked to verify the children’s age when they are using the internet.
Greek officials say the new software is a ‘powerful tool’ to protect childrenImage: picture alliance/Bildagentur-online/Blend Images
The Greek government on Monday launched “Kids Wallet,” a state-operated mobile application that allows parents to monitor their children’s screen time and verify their age on digital platforms and social networks.
“We are giving parents a powerful tool to protect their children online,” said Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, presenting the new digital instrument in Athens.
“This is an application that Greece — and Europe — needs to confirm children’s ages when they use social media,” Papastergiou added. “It will also serve as an identification tool for upcoming initiatives.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his support for the initiative as well as his concern about the impact of technology on family life. “You see families in restaurants where parents and children are all on their phones, and you wonder when they actually talk to each other,” he said.
The age from which parental consent is no longer required has been set at 15, and the use of the application is voluntary.
While similar software tools for limiting time online have been commercially available for decades, it is still unusual to see governments stepping in to provide digital solutions of their own. In November, the Australian parliament passed legislation restricting access to social media for children and teenagers, allowing it only for those aged 16 or older.
The app “Kids Wallet,” developed by the Greek government, allows parents to monitor their children’s online activities. The parents are also asked to verify the children’s age when they are using the internet.
The Greek government on Monday launched “Kids Wallet,” a state-operated mobile application that allows parents to monitor their children’s screen time and verify their age on digital platforms and social networks.
“We are giving parents a powerful tool to protect their children online,” said Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, presenting the new digital instrument in Athens.
“This is an application that Greece — and Europe — needs to confirm children’s ages when they use social media,” Papastergiou added. “It will also serve as an identification tool for upcoming initiatives.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his support for the initiative as well as his concern about the impact of technology on family life. “You see families in restaurants where parents and children are all on their phones, and you wonder when they actually talk to each other,” he said.
The age from which parental consent is no longer required has been set at 15, and the use of the application is voluntary.
While similar software tools for limiting time online have been commercially available for decades, it is still unusual to see governments stepping in to provide digital solutions of their own. In November, the Australian parliament passed legislation restricting access to social media for children and teenagers, allowing it only for those aged 16 or older.
The app is integrated with the government services platform, already widely used to pay taxes and navigate bureaucracy, and works with existing digital identification systems for adults.
After downloading Kids Wallet on the child’s phone, parents can create a parent-child account using their online tax identification credentials.
After signing in, they choose which apps and websites their child can access, as well as how much time they should be allowed to spend on them each day.
Then, the child’s age is confirmed by uploading the necessary documents, which parents obtain through their account on the official state services platform, In this way, the parent creates a “digital identity” for the minor.
The app does not allow parents to read their children’s messages. However, they can establish certain restrictions and obtain more general information about internet use, such as the daily time of the minor’s online activity
Keyword .#Greece l#aunches #state app to limit# children’s screen time
