Greece Bans Social Media Access for Children Under 15

The Greek Parliament has approved a bill that bans children under the age of 15 from accessing social media services. This new regulation, designed to protect children's mental health, will come into force on January 1, 2027.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, described the measure as "necessary, effective, proportionate, and EU-law-compliant." Social media platforms will have until the effective date to implement mechanisms to determine whether accounts and services are intended for adults or minors.

Highlights

• Greece has passed a law prohibiting social media use for children under 15.
• The legislation will take effect on January 1, 2027.
• The primary goal is to protect children's mental health and prevent addiction from uncontrolled internet use.
• Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou stated the move is "necessary and compliant with EU law."
• This follows a trend started by Australia, with many other countries adopting similar age restrictions.

Details

During the parliamentary vote, the ruling New Democracy party supported the bill, while opposition parties SYRIZA, Greek Solution, KKE, Niki, and Freedom Course voted against it, and PASOK abstained. Minister Papastergiou drew parallels to age limits on alcohol and tobacco sales, arguing that waiting for a "perfect European law" from Brussels would be too slow. He emphasized the need to send a clear message that the problem of uncontrolled internet use, leading to addiction and harming mental health, cannot continue.

Papastergiou defended the use of an app called "Kid's Wallet" for age verification, stating it was developed according to EU technical specifications. He assured that the app "does not provide any personal data whatsoever about children or users, other than whether they are over or under 15 years of age – not even their date of birth." He concluded, "We owe our children their childhood. That is what we are doing today. We have a duty to protect them."

Why it matters

This legislation marks a significant step in safeguarding children in the digital realm and addressing the negative impacts of excessive social media use. Greece joins a growing number of countries implementing such age restrictions to combat issues like reduced attention spans and disrupted sleep patterns among children. This move could set a precedent for other EU nations, potentially leading to the widespread adoption of similar regulations. Such digital protection measures are increasingly crucial for the mental health and development of children.