Greece to ban social media access for under-15s from January VIDEO

Greece has announced plans to ban access to social media platforms for children under the age of 15, becoming the latest European nation to move toward stricter controls on minors’ online activity.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the measure is aimed at addressing rising anxiety and sleep disorders among young people, as well as what he described as the “addictive design” of social media platforms. The restriction is scheduled to come into force in January next year, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In a video message posted on social media on April 8, Mitsotakis said: "Many young people tell me they feel exhausted from comparisons, from comments, from the pressure to always be online."

He added that he had spoken with parents who reported their children were not sleeping well, felt anxious and were constantly on their phones.

Calling the planned restriction "difficult but necessary", the prime minister stressed that the government’s goal was not to distance young people from technology, which "can be a source of inspiration, knowledge and creativity".

"But the addictive design of certain applications, and a business model based on capturing your attention - on how long you stay in front of a screen - takes away your innocence and your freedom. That has to stop somewhere," he said.

Mitsotakis also said Athens would push for coordinated action at the European level. In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, he called for a common European Union framework to “complement and reinforce the necessary national initiatives for the protection of minors”.

His proposals include mandatory age verification for under-15s across all platforms, a pan-European ban for that age group and a requirement for companies to re-check users’ ages every six months.

The move follows similar efforts in other countries. In December, Australia became the first country in the world to require platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok to remove accounts held by under-16s or face heavy fines. France, Austria and Spain are also pursuing comparable measures.

The government of the United Kingdom has launched a consultation on whether to implement a similar ban for under-16s, while Ireland and Denmark are considering related restrictions.

By Sabina Mammadli