2 min learnUp to date: Apr 8, 2026 05:21 PM IST
Greece will ban entry to social media for youngsters below the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated on Wednesday, citing rising nervousness, sleep issues and the addictive design of on-line platforms.
In a video message addressed to younger folks, Mitsotakis stated youngsters spending lengthy hours in entrance of screens don’t permit their minds to relaxation and face rising strain from fixed comparability and on-line feedback.
The Greek prime minister stated he had spoken with many dad and mom who reported that their youngsters don’t sleep nicely, develop into anxious simply and spend lengthy hours on their telephones.
An opinion ballot by ALCO printed in February confirmed about 80% of these surveyed authorised of a ban. The Greek authorities has already outlawed cellphones in colleges and arrange parental management platforms to restrict youngsters’ display time.
“Greece shall be among the many first nations to take such an initiative,” Mitsotakis stated. “I’m sure, nevertheless, that it’s going to not be the final. Our purpose is to push the European Union on this course as nicely.”
Australia turned the world’s first nation to ban social media for youngsters below 16 in December, blocking entry to platforms together with TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Fb.
Meta, Snapchat and TikTok have stated they continued to consider Australia’s ban wouldn’t shield younger folks however dedicated to complying with it.
Story continues beneath this advert
Different nations are additionally tightening guidelines on social media with the UK, Malaysia, France, Denmark and Poland both contemplating a ban or within the technique of legislating one.
Writing individually to European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, Mitsotakis referred to as for coordinated European Union motion, arguing that nationwide measures alone wouldn’t be ample to guard minors from web habit.
Within the letter, he proposed establishing an EU-wide “digital age of majority” at 15, mandating age verification and common re-verification for all platforms, and establishing a harmonised enforcement and penalty framework, urging the bloc to place a unified system in place by the top of 2026.