Lithuanian teenagers continue to smoke and drink less, according to a new European school survey, LRT reports. Also, cannabis use among minors in Lithuania is now lowest in 20 years. At the same time, the misuse of over-the-counter and prescription medications, especially sedatives and sleeping pills, among teenagers has increased markedly. Also, electronic cigarettes remain…
Estonia does not support banning young people from accessing social media, Estonia’s Justice and Digital Affairs Minister, Liisa Pakosta, announced, ERR reports. Earlier, the European Parliament proposed setting an EU-wide age limit on social media platforms. Under the plan, children could use social media from the age of 13 with parental consent and independently from…
Altogether 564,800 households in Estonia, which is 95% of all households, now have internet access, which is 20,000 more than in 2024, according to Statistics Estonia’s survey, Estonian World reports. The survey shows that almost 100% of people aged 16-54 years use the internet. Also, internet use has increased markedly among the elderly as people…
Websites of several state institutions in Latvia were hit by a major distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the morning of 2 October 2025, according to the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC), LSM reported. The attack disrupted the websites of e-government portal Latvija.lv, electronic signature service eParaksts, the State Revenue Service (VID), the Cabinet…
Stricter rules on gambling advertising came into force in Lithuania on 1 July 2025, BNS reports. Gambling operators can now only advertise their brands at their gambling venues, while other external advertising is prohibited. Only betting commercials are allowed on TV, radio, and the internet. Gambling operators can still sponsor sports, cultural, and art events….
Resolving the current crisis in Ukraine’s relations with the US requires “cool heads and wisdom” rather than “very loud and sharp statements,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stated, BNS reports. He was commenting on an earlier angry exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House. “I suggest not…
The combined revenues of Estonia’s three largest telecommunications service providers dropped to around EUR 671mn in 2024, ERR reports. Estonia’s leading telecommunications company, Swedish-owned Telia, reported an annual turnover of EUR 359.7mn, which was down 0.4% from 2023. Finnish-owned Elisa’s turnover fell by 1.2% to EUR 223mn in 2024. Swedish-owned TELE2’s turnover amounted to an…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments further limiting alcohol sales and advertising as of 1 August 2025, LSM reports. Under the amendments, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be permitted from 10am to 8pm on Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sunday, thus reducing the availability of…
Estonia has taken over the chairship of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) from the Netherlands, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports. During the one-year term as chair, Estonia will focus on sharing its experience in e-government and on bridging the global digital divide. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stressed the importance of like-minded countries and…