Greece will soon propose a social media ban for anyone under 15 years old, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
"The evidence is unambiguous,” he said at a Bloomberg event in Athens. "The addictive scrolling is damaging to their mental health, and we need to do something about it.”
He said the proposal will arrive within "weeks,” adding, "the age limit we will set is going to be 15 years.”
The move makes Greece the latest European country to try and restrict social media use for children and teenagers.
France voted in January to ban children under 15 from using apps like Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok and Snap Inc’s Snapchat. Meanwhile, Spain has said it will block children from using social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok.
Additionally, Portugal recently approved a bill restricting access for those under 16.
Mitsotakis said he thought Europe would eventually move toward a unified approach on the matter. The momentum is likely to put the continent in conflict with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the European Union’s approach to digital regulations affecting large American tech firms.
Still, Mitsotakis said such measures were an important check on these companies’ power.
"We also need to honestly confront the platforms and tell them something very simple: You’re making enough money,” he said. "You don’t need to make money out of our children and our teenagers, as well.” – Bloomberg
