Cyprus

Please click to go to the Greek language website

In brief

Cyprus was not involved in EU Kids Online 2020. Main results on this page draw on the 2010 survey, with more recent publications under “Publications.”

Cyprus is a ‘higher use’ country among the lower risk countries. Cypriot children’s experience of excessive use is more common (40%) than the European average (30%). Even though 10% of 11- to12-year-olds say they have been bothered by something online, their parents are less likely to recognise this. Thirteen per cent of Cypriot children have had contact online with someone they have not met face to face, a percentage considerably lower than the European average of 30%.

Cyprus - EU Kids Online Cyprus - EU Kids Online

Highlights

  • CNTI has operated the Cyprus Safer Internet Centre, CyberEthics, since 2006. It runs as a combined Awareness Node, Helpline and Hotline. Its aim is to inform and assist the public regarding online dangers and safety while the Hotline is the reporting channel for illegal online content, i.e. child sexual abuse material.
  • More than 600 seminars and workshops were organised for children regarding online dangers, safety and the promotion of positive content throughout the period from 2006 to 2018.
  • CNTI has run a national study on 2015 in the context of the European research project Young Children (0-8) and Digital Technology coordinated by JRC.

Reports

Factsheet

Summary of findings

Safety guides

Full report

Questionnaires

The EU Kids Online fieldwork involved several questionnaires. First, a face to face interview with one parent. Second, a face to face interview with the child. Then a self-completion interview for sensitive questions, with one version for 9-10 year olds and one version for 11-16 year olds.

Questionnaire for parent

Questionnaire for child

Self-completion questionnaire for child (Children age 9-10)

Self-completion questionnaire for child (Children age 11-16)

Publications

Laouris, Y. and Aristodemou E. (2013). Risks and safety for children on the internet: the Cyprus report: Full findings from the EU Kids Online survey of Cypriot 9-16 year olds and their parents.

O’Neill, B., Laouris, Y. & Economou, A. (2013). Teaching internet safety, promoting digital literacy: the dual role of education and schools. In O'Neil, S., Staksrud, E. & McLaughlin, S (eds.) Promoting a Safer Internet for Children. European Policy Debates and Challenges: Nordicom.

Taraszow, T. & Laouris, Y. (2013). The Influence of NGOs on Safer Internet Policy Making. In O'Neil, S., Staksrud, E. & McLaughlin, S (eds.) Promoting a Safer Internet for Children. European Policy Debates and Challenges: Nordicom.

Mascheroni, G., Murru, M. F., Aristodemou, E. & Laouris, Y. (2012). Parents: Mediation, Selfregulation and co-regulation. In O'Neil, S., Staksrud, E. & McLaughlin, S (eds.) Promoting a Safer Internet for Children. European Policy Debates and Challenges: Nordicom.

Kirwil, L. & Laouris Y. (2012). Experimenting with the self-online: a risky opportunity. In Livingstone, S., Haddon L. & Gorzig, A. (eds.) Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet: Research and Policy Challenges in Comparative Perspective: The Policy Press.

Aristodemou, E., Hansen, O., Shitta, G. & Laouris, Y. (2011). IDentifEYE: Augmented Reality Game for Online Identities. Journal for the Systemic Innovation of Education, 1(2), 64-76.

Laouris, Y., Aristodemou, E. & Fountana, M. (2011). Teaching Internet Safety in Virtual Environments.International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, 7(1), 67-76.

Aristodemou, E., Laouris, Y. & Taraszow, T. (2010). Identifying and Ranking Internet Dangers. Proceedings of the 2010 Social Applications for Lifelong Learning Conference, Patras, Greece.

Wold, T., Aristodemou, E., Dunkels, E. & Laouris, Y. (2009). Inappropriate content. In Livingstone, S. & Haddon, L (eds.) Kids Online: Opportunities and risks for children: The Policy Press.

Taraszow, T., Aristodemou, E., Arsoy, A., Shitta, G. and Laouris, Y. (2009). ‘Disclosure of personal and contact information by young people in social networking sites: an analysis using Facebook™ profiles as an example’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, 6(1), 81-101.

Aristodemou, E., Kasparis, N., & Laouris, Y. (2008). Video game technology engaged in promoting a safer use of the internet. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia. Cyprus.

Drousiotou, A.-M., Shitta, G., Taraszow, T., & Laouris, Y. (2008). CyberEthics: The Safer Internet Awareness Node of Cyprus that promotes the active participation of children in their own safety. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Aristodemou, E., Taraszow, T., & Laouris, Y. (2008). Young Cypriot internet users: A quantitative survey in the context of EU Kids Online. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia. Cyprus.

Aristodemou, E., Taraszow, T., & Laouris, Y. (2008). EU Kids Online, the pan-European Initiative that Explores and Compares Young Internet Users across Europe: Comparative Results. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia. Cyprus.

Drousiotou, A.-M., Shitta, G., Taraszow, T., & Laouris, Y. (2008). CyberEthics: The Safer Internet Awareness Node of Cyprus that promotes the active participation of children in their own safety. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Kasparis, N., Aristodemou, E., & Laouris, Y. (2008). SafenetCY: Hotline to report illegal and disturbing uses of the Internet. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Shitta, G., Taraszow, T., Laouris, Y. (2008). Safer Internet Forum: A Youth-driven initiative for safer cyberspace. Paper presented at the Conference Child and Youth Research in the 21st Century: A Critical Appraisal, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Taraszow, T., Arsoy, A., Shitta, G., & Laouris, Y. (2008). How much Personal and Sensitive Informationdo Cypriot Teenagers Reveal in Facebook? Proceedings of 7th European Conference on e-learning, Agia Napa, Cyprus.

Team

1

Dr Yiannis Laouris is Senior Scientist and Chair of the Cyprus Neuroscience & Technology Institute and Director of the Cyprus Safer Internet Center “CyberEthics”. He is involved in research and applications of broadband technologies as tools to bridge the digital; economic, educational and inter-personal divides in our planet. He is Member of the Board of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras, Insafe, Inhope, EU Kids online, ECSO, Cybercrime Centre of Excellence, ECTEG – Europol, and served as national representative in several COST Actions, etc. He is one of the 12 authors of the ONLIFE Manifesto drafted on behalf of the Digital Futures Task Force of the European Commission, which now guides EC funding priorities, as well as political and societal priorities in the hyper-connectivity era. Yiannis is an international leader in the theory and application of the science of structured democratic dialogue (SDD) and conducts research towards developing systems to enable scaling up participatory dialogic processes to engage asynchronously thousands of people in meaningful authentic dialogues, thus accelerating institutional and societal change. He has published about 50 papers in peered reviewed journals, half of which in neuroscience, a quarter in applied systems science and peace, and the rest in IT-children and neuroscience of learning. He contributed chapters in about 20 books and made over 120 conference papers and presentations.  

2

Mrs Elena Aristodemou is the Head of the New Media Lab Unit and coordinator of: (1) CyberEthics (Cyprus Safer Internet Center), (2) 3CE ‘Cyprus Cyber Crime Center of Excellence for Training, Research and Education’, a project aiming for the creation of the Cyprus Cybercrime Centre of Excellence which will allow the country to provide training opportunities on Cybercrime in Cyprus, and (3) UINFC2, ‘Engaging Users in Preventing and Fighting Cybercrime. Elena is also heavily involved in the writing of her department’s grant applications. Her research interests focus on learning disabilities, cognitive neuroscience and the dangers of the Internet. 

3

Mr. Andreas Andreou holds a BA in Greek Philology, pathways Linguistics (Excellent) from the University of Patras (Greece) and an MSc in Forensic Linguistics from Aston University, UK. He is a project coordinator in several European funded projects on behalf of CNTI and his research interests focus on the use of language in the crime, online safety and the integration of Responsible Research and Innovation in research processes. He is the Vice-Head of the Cyberethics: Cyprus Safer Internet Center and Coordinator of the CyberEthics Hotline. During his engagement with Cyberethics: Cyprus Safer Internet Center, Andreas has implemented more than a hundred experiential workshops and talks to raise awareness about internet safety and the positive aspect of the internet among students, teachers and parents in Cyprus and he has periodically been interviewed on national TV and radio programs on aspects related to the activities of Cyberethics: Cyprus Safer Internet Center. 

4

Ms. Aliki Economidou is a licenced Clinical Psychologist and a PhD Student at The University of Naples Federico II. She has an MSc in Health Psychology from the University College London (UCL) and King’s College London (KCL) and a BSc in Psychology from The University of Manchester.  Aliki has been a Project Coordinator and Research Associate at the Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute (CNTI) since February 2012, successfully representing her organization in numerous European and National conferences and meetings. Aliki has been in the past employed by the Therapeutic Community ‘Agia Skepi’ working with drug addicts and at the Mental Health Clinic of the Nicosia General Hospital. Aliki is a huge supporter of Animal Welfare and an active member of several Animal Sanctuaries and Welfare organizations in Cyprus. She is primarily interested in Mental Health Disorders such as Personality and Mood Disorders and her primary research interests focus on Depression, Virtual Reality and the Human – Animal Bond.