ATHENS: Greece’s parliament on Friday passed a law banning children under the age of 15 from using social media, joining a growing number of countries seeking to restrict young people’s access to online platforms.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans for the ban in April, using TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms among young people in Greece, to describe the measure as “difficult but necessary”.
Following a heated parliamentary debate that began on Thursday and continued into Friday, Mitsotakis’s conservative New Democracy party used its parliamentary majority to pass the bill, according to the ANA news agency. No other party supported the legislation.
El Parlamento griego aprobó este jueves una ley que prohíbe, a partir del 1 de enero de 2027, el acceso a las redes sociales a todos los menores de 15 años.
“Sé que a los padres les resulta difícil luchar por su cuenta contra algoritmos diseñados para mantener a los niños pegados al teléfono; estamos aquí para apoyaros”, afirmó el jefe del Gobierno en su cuenta de TikTok horas antes de la votación.
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The opposition socialist Pasok party abstained after proposing an alternative bill that would have banned social media use for children under 13 and required parental controls for those aged 13 and 14. Other left-wing and nationalist parties voted against the measure.
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The new law is scheduled to take effect on January 1. It will require social media companies to verify users’ ages and impose substantial penalties on platforms that fail to comply.
Australia became the first country to introduce a similar ban last year, prohibiting children under 16 from accessing social media. According to an AFP tally, more than 20 countries have passed comparable laws.
Supporters of such restrictions argue that social media platforms use addictive algorithms that encourage children to spend excessive time online, potentially harming their mental health.
However, the measures have also faced opposition from free-speech advocates, while critics have questioned how effectively age restrictions can be enforced in practice.
