2026-04-08 14:38:24
Greece is to ban under-15s from using social media next year.
The country’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday (08.04.26) that the ban would come into effect from 1 January 2027.
He has cited rising anxiety, sleep problems and addictive platforms as the factors behind the ban.
In a video message to Greek children, Mitsotakis said that spending long hours in front of screens does not give their minds the chance to rest and that they face growing pressure from constant comparison on social media and online comments.
The politician 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.”
From the beginning of next year, platforms will have to be able to restrict users under the age of 15 or face fines reaching up to six per cent of their global turnover – digital governance minister Dimitris Papastergiou said.
The ban will be legislated by the Greek parliament later this year.
The social media ban for under-15s has widespread support in the country, with a poll finding that 80 per cent are in favour of the restrictions.
One mother told Reuters before the ban’s announcement: “Ban them, shut them down. We’ve reached our limits… We parents need help.”
However, 44-year-old parent Dimitris Daniil thinks that a ban should only be introduced as a last resort.
He said: “I’d prefer a different approach, limiting mobile phone use within the family.
“But where that’s not possible, perhaps a ban would work as the extreme remedy.”
Dimtris’ 14-year-old daughter Katerina explained that most people her age have never known a world without social media.
She said: “It is the way we learned since we were born.
“I can control it – but then again I usually get carried away.”
As well as announcing the ban, Mitsotakis has written to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to call for the European Union (EU) to take coordinated action on the matter.
He argues that national measures are not enough to protect young people and has proposed establishing an EU-wide “digital age of majority” of 15.
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