Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to announce a sweeping ban on social media access for children under the age of 15 on Wednesday, according to a government briefing.
The proposed legislation positions Greece among a growing coalition of nations seeking to restrict minors’ access to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X (formerly Twitter) amid mounting concerns over youth mental health, online predation, and screen addiction.
The Greek announcement follows closely on the heels of Australia’s historic move to become the first country in the world to block social media access for children under 16. Several European nations, including Slovenia, Britain, Austria, and Spain, have also confirmed they are actively working on similar age-restriction measures.
Details of the Proposed Greek Ban
While the Greek government has not yet released the full text of the proposed legislation, sources familiar with the briefing indicate that the ban would apply to all children under the age of 15. It remains unclear whether the restrictions would apply to all social media platforms uniformly or whether certain educational or messaging services would be exempt.
Enforcement mechanisms, including age-verification technology and penalties for non-compliant platforms, are expected to be outlined in the coming days.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis has previously expressed concern about the impact of social media on young people, citing rising rates of cyberbullying, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, and exposure to inappropriate content.
The Greek government is reportedly consulting with technology companies, child psychologists, and digital rights advocates to ensure the ban is both effective and proportionate.
Australia Leads the Way with World-First Under-16 Ban
Australia became the first nation to enact a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 in late 2024. The Australian law requires platforms to implement robust age-verification systems or face significant fines. The legislation was passed with bipartisan support following an extensive parliamentary inquiry into the mental health effects of social media on adolescents.
Under the Australian model, platforms bear the responsibility of preventing underage access, rather than punishing children or parents. Age assurance technologies, including biometric estimation, government ID verification, and behavioral analysis, are being explored as potential compliance tools. The law has been closely watched by policymakers around the world, many of whom view it as a potential template for their own regulations.
European Momentum: Slovenia, Britain, Austria, and Spain Follow Suit
Greece is far from alone in its push for stricter age restrictions. Across Europe, governments are racing to address what many now describe as a public health crisis.
Slovenia has announced plans to introduce a social media age limit of 15, citing research linking early social media use to developmental harm. The Slovenian government is expected to present draft legislation within months.
Britain has been actively exploring age-restriction mechanisms since the passage of its Online Safety Act. While the current law requires platforms to enforce age limits (typically 13), regulators are considering raising the minimum age to 16 following pressure from child protection advocates.
Austria has signaled its intention to implement a ban for children under 14, with Chancellor Karl Nehammer describing social media as a “digital danger” requiring urgent legislative action.
Spain is developing a comprehensive youth online protection law that would raise the minimum age for social media consent from 14 to 16, while also imposing stricter content moderation requirements.
Why Now? The Case for Age Restrictions
The global movement to restrict children’s social media access is driven by a growing body of evidence linking early and excessive platform use to a range of harms. Key concerns include:
Mental Health: Multiple studies have found that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face significantly higher risks of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Cyberbullying: Approximately 60 per cent of teenagers have experienced or witnessed cyberbullying on social media platforms, with younger users disproportionately affected.
Predation and Exploitation: Law enforcement agencies worldwide have reported sharp increases in online grooming, sextortion, and child sexual abuse material facilitated through social media platforms.
Sleep Disruption: The addictive design of social media platforms, including infinite scrolling and push notifications, has been linked to chronic sleep deprivation among adolescents, with cascading effects on academic performance and physical health.
Body Image Issues: Platforms emphasizing filtered images and curated lifestyles have been associated with increased rates of eating disorders and body dysmorphia among teenage girls.
The Role of Age-Verification Technology
A central challenge for any social media ban is enforcement. Age verification has historically been difficult to implement without compromising user privacy. However, technological advances are providing new solutions.
Biometric age estimation uses facial analysis to predict age within a few years, without storing identifiable images. Government ID verification, while more accurate, raises privacy concerns.
Behavioral analysis examines typing patterns and content interaction to flag likely underage users. Some countries are exploring decentralized identity systems that allow age confirmation without revealing specific personal information.
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) already requires platforms to assess systemic risks to minors and implement proportionate age-verification measures. The new national bans would build on this framework, imposing stricter age thresholds and more aggressive enforcement.
Criticism and Concerns
Despite widespread public support for age restrictions, the proposed bans have attracted criticism from several quarters.
Digital rights advocates argue that age-verification requirements could lead to mass surveillance of all users, not just minors. They warn that requiring government ID or biometric data for platform access creates privacy risks and potential for data breaches.
Free speech proponents contend that age restrictions should be enforced by parents, not governments, and that blanket bans may be unconstitutional in some jurisdictions.
Technology companies have expressed concerns about the technical feasibility of accurate age verification, warning that determined minors will circumvent restrictions using VPNs or borrowed accounts.
Child development experts are divided. Some support strict age limits, while others argue that education and digital literacy programs are more effective than outright bans, which may drive social media use underground without addressing underlying harms.
Implementation Challenges for Greece
For Greece, implementing a social media ban for children under 15 will require navigating several complex issues. The Greek government must determine which platforms fall under the ban, how to verify ages without creating privacy risks, what penalties to impose on non-compliant platforms, and how to handle exemptions for educational or health-related uses.
Greece will also need to coordinate with the European Commission to ensure its national legislation complies with EU law, particularly regarding cross-border digital services and fundamental rights protections.
International Coordination and Future Outlook
The simultaneous movement by multiple countries toward stricter age restrictions suggests a coordinated international response to what is widely recognized as a global problem.
While Australia led the way, the European nations now pursuing similar bans may ultimately adopt harmonized age limits through EU-wide legislation, avoiding a patchwork of differing national rules.
Industry observers expect that major social media platforms will eventually be forced to implement robust, standardized age verification across all markets, rather than maintaining different policies for different countries. This could accelerate the development of privacy-preserving age assurance technologies and potentially raise the global default age for social media access.
