Greece passes social media ban for children under 15

Greece’s parliament has approved a bill banning children under 15 from social media, joining a growing number of countries curbing young people’s use of the platforms (Reuters).

Passed on Friday after a heated debate that ran from Thursday into Friday, the law takes effect on 1 January 2027. It will require age verification on social networks and impose harsh penalties on companies that fail to comply (Dawn/AFP).

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said platforms have two-and-a-half months to devise a way to verify users’ ages while protecting their privacy. He announced the plan in April, taking to TikTok to explain what he called a “difficult but necessary” measure.

Mitsotakis’s conservative New Democracy party used its parliamentary majority to pass the bill, which no other party backed. The opposition Pasok party abstained; other left-wing and nationalist parties voted against.

Australia became the first country to introduce such a ban last year, barring under-16s, and more than 20 countries have passed similar laws, according to an AFP tally. A comparable French law was struck down by the country’s Constitutional Council in August.

Greece is among seven EU countries working with the European Commission on an age-verification solution. The government says it stands by parents to help curb “endless scrolling” that deprives children of sleep, concentration and time with their friends (CNA).