An action plan for the protection of minors using social media was approved on Wednesday by the cabinet, following an “urgent challenge” created by the fact that 98% of young people in Cyprus use social media, which international organizations have blamed for addictive behaviors and choosing platforms over other activities, Cyprus Mail reports.

Announcing the decision after the cabinet meeting, Deputy Research Minister Nicodemos Damianou said the action plan targets social media and platforms, where users create a profile, post content and publicly interact.

“The evidence clearly shows the size and urgent nature of the challenge,” he said.

He referred to figures indicating that 98 per cent of young people in Cyprus actively use social media. “This is the highest percentage in the EU,” Damianou pointed out.

Along with the use of social media, young people performed low in critical skills for evaluating information, he added.

He cited international organizations which have said an increased use of social media was linked to addictive behavior, the neglect of other activities and other negative consequences on their daily life.