From January 1, 2027 social media will be banned by Greece for children under the age of 15. On Wednesday it was said by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that rising anxiety, addiction and sleep problems are the reasons for the ban.
In February an opinion poll was published by ALCO showed that about 80 per cent of the people who were surveyed approved of a ban.
Mobile phones in schools have also been outlawed by the Greek government. They have also set up parental control platforms to limit teenagers’ screen time.
Mitsotakis in a video message said “Greece will be among the first countries to take such an initiative, I am certain, however, that it will not be the last. Our goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well.”
The first country to ban social media for children under 16 was Australia in December. They blocked access to Alphabet’s YouTube, TikTok and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.
Read more: France to ban social media for children under 15
According to Snapchat, Meta and TikTok, Australia’s ban would not protect young people but they are committed to complying with it.
As of yet Greece cannot force these social media platforms to verify the age of its users. However, it recommends that the platforms use mechanisms that Greece and EU have already set. The government has also requested the parents to assist.
Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said “From January 1 2027, platforms will need to be able to restrict users or face fines described in the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) reaching up to 6% of their global turnover.”
The ban will be legislated by mid-2026 by Greece’s parliament. Other than Greece some other countries are tightening rules on social media including Malaysia, United Kingdom, Denmark, France and Poland. They are either considering a ban or might tighten the rules.
Also read: Indonesia announces social media restrictions for kids
