Greece bans social media for children. Other EU countries want to follow suit

Most studies indicate that children's abuse of social media, or as some call it "anti-social", may lead to problems with sleep, concentration and limited physical activity. Long-term use of online platforms by minors increases the risk of exposure to cyberbullying, hate and inappropriate content, which is often sent to children by algorithms. When this is done without adult supervision, it is especially dangerous.

Children may also compare themselves with idealized images of other people, which negatively affects their self-esteem and well-being. Therefore, reasonable screen time limits, talking to your child, and controlling privacy and security settings are important.

On September 18, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in her annual address presented the "Kids Act" project, which assumes a ban on access to social media for children under 13 and significant restrictions for people under 15. Later - in a Morning conversation on RMF FM - Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski said that Poland was one of the countries that encouraged the European Union to take such actions. Agreeing on and implementing the regulations may take several or even several dozen months. Politico reported today that there are countries that have no intention of waiting and are taking matters into their own hands.

Politico reports that last week the Greek parliament passed a law banning access to social media for people under 15 years of age. In Italy, there is an ongoing discussion about the protection of people under 14 years of age. Portugal has formally notified the European Commission of its proposals, formally requesting an opinion from the EU's executive body. Cypriot ministers approved their own ban on under-15s on the day Brussels proposed its project. Austria and Germany are also working on their solutions.

EU countries are ultimately in favor of a single law that would give Brussels the right to supervise large platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.