Greece bans social media use by under 15s from next year

In Greece, youth under 15 will be banned from using social media starting next year.

According to Reuters and AFP on the 24th (local time), the Greek parliament passed a bill banning the use of social media by children under the age of 15 from January 1 next year.

It is reported that lawmakers debated the pros and cons of the bill for two days starting on the 22nd. After discussion, the bill was passed under the leadership of the ruling New Democracy Party, which held a majority of the seats. Foreign media reported that other political parties did not support the bill.

The bill also requires social media platforms to verify the age of users and severely punishes companies that do not comply.

The Greek government has been promoting a policy to ban youth use of social media since last April. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also personally promoted the policy. At the time, the popular social media TikTok was used for promotion.

As the harmful effects of youth addiction to social media increase, an increasing number of countries around the world are restricting the use of social media by children and adolescents. According to AFP, more than 20 countries are currently pursuing policies to ban or restrict youth use of social media.

The European Union (EU) also announced last month that it would push for the 'EU Kids Act', which would completely ban social media use by children under 13 across all 27 member states.

France pursued a policy that prevented youth under the age of 15 from opening social media accounts, but it was blocked by a ruling that it was unconstitutional. The French government is revising and re-promoting the bill, saying that the Constitutional Committee did not deny the need for the bill itself.