Commissioner for children's rights questions involvement of minors in public protests

On October 5, 2026, the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights, Elena Perikleous, officially addressed MEP Fidias Panayiotou regarding the involvement of minors in video content related to a recent public mobilization concerning electricity costs. The Commissioner expressed deep concern over how these children were utilized in the campaign, emphasizing that while children have the right to participate in public life, such engagement must be based on informed consent and independent decision-making rather than adult influence.

Perikleous issued a public statement clarifying that her intervention serves to protect children from instrumentalization. She distinguished between a child’s right to express views and the potential manipulation by adults seeking to serve their own agendas. She stressed that for participation to be meaningful, children must be properly informed and understand the subject matter, asserting that their voices must remain their own.

The Commissioner's intervention is not limited to this specific instance but highlights a broader institutional concern regarding how adults manage children's participation in social and political spheres. No further administrative or legal actions were disclosed beyond the initial letter to the public figure involved in the publication of the material.