Greece to ban social media for under-15s from 2027 • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

• Digital Age Restriction: A proposed policy to ban social media access for children under 15.
• Age Verification: Mandatory systems to confirm the age of users on digital platforms.
• Digital Wellbeing: The focus on mitigating anxiety, sleep deprivation, and psychological harm caused by excessive screen time.
• Policy Harmonization: The effort to standardize digital age limits across the European Union.

Proposed Social Media Ban for Minors in Greece

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced a significant policy initiative aimed at restricting social media access for children under the age of 15. This measure is framed as a "difficult but necessary" intervention to protect the mental health and development of minors.

Scientific Rationale and Public Health Concerns

The primary argument for this ban is rooted in neuroscientific evidence suggesting that prolonged screen time prevents the brain from resting. The government has identified a direct correlation between heavy social media usage and rising rates of:

• Anxiety: Increased psychological distress among minors.
• Sleep Disorders: Significant disruptions to healthy sleep patterns.
• Harmful Online Behavior: Exposure to toxic environments and content that negatively impacts social development.

Legislative Context and Implementation

The proposed ban on social media follows previous government actions, including:

1. School Phone Bans: Outlawing the use of mobile phones within educational institutions.
2. Parental Controls: Strengthening existing tools to help parents monitor and limit digital activity.
3. Mandatory Age Verification: The government is advocating for technical solutions that would require platforms to verify the age of their users, ensuring the 15-year-old threshold is strictly enforced.

Public Opinion and Social Reception

The initiative has garnered substantial support within Greece:

• Polling Data: A recent opinion poll indicates that approximately 80% of the Greek public supports the proposed ban.
• Youth Perspective: Interviews with teenagers suggest a nuanced acceptance of the policy. While some suggest a lower threshold (e.g., 13 years old), there is a widespread acknowledgment among youth that social media platforms are "addictive" and that excessive usage is detrimental to their well-being.

European Union Integration

Greece is not acting in isolation; the movement toward stricter digital regulation is gaining momentum across Europe:

• EU-wide Proposal: Prime Minister Mitsotakis has formally written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging the establishment of a 15-year-old digital minimum age across all EU member states.
• Regional Trend: Approximately 10 other EU nations are currently evaluating similar legislative measures, signaling a potential shift in European digital policy toward prioritizing child safety over unrestricted platform access.

Synthesis and Conclusion

The Greek government’s push to ban social media for children under 15 represents a proactive, health-focused approach to digital regulation. By citing scientific concerns regarding brain development and mental health, the administration is seeking to move beyond parental controls toward systemic, state-enforced age verification. With strong domestic support and a push for EU-wide harmonization, this initiative highlights a growing international consensus that the current digital landscape requires stricter boundaries to protect the psychological welfare of the next generation.