Greece will ban the use of social media by young children

Greece will reportedly ban the use of social media by children under 15 as of January 1, 2027.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed children on his social media account.

Mitsotakis stated that in recent years, he has been informed by parents and experts that children are stressed, have difficulty sleeping, and constantly look at their mobile phones, adding that their brains are fatigued from prolonged screen time.

Therefore, he emphasized that they will be making a difficult decision and announced that access to social media will be banned for those under 15.

Mitsotakis noted that the relevant legislation will be prepared in the summer of 2026 and will come into effect on January 1, 2027.

Following this, Greek Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Health Adonis Georgiades, and Minister of State Akis Skertsois held a press conference to detail the regulation that will come into effect in the country on January 1, 2027.

Skerços pointed out that uncontrolled use of social media by children can lead to addiction, stating that restrictions are essential.

Yeorgiadis emphasized that digital addictions have a serious negative impact on the brain and nervous system, causing physical effects such as obesity, vision problems, sleep disorders, and fatigue, as well as mental health problems such as attention deficit, memory difficulties, lack of self-confidence, loneliness, stress, and depression.

Furthermore, Yeorgiadis noted that social media use at a young age negatively affects social skills, explaining that this can lead to problems such as communication difficulties within society, digital blackmail, bullying, and hate speech.

Papastergiu announced that the mechanism established by the European Union (EU) will be used for age verification.

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