Greece is introducing a ban on social media for children under 15, starting from January 1. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cited rising anxiety and sleep problems caused by excessive screen time as the main reasons for the decision. The government aims to protect young minds from addictive online platforms.
The 300-seat parliament will vote on the ban this summer, making Greece one of the first European countries to implement such legislation. This is not the first measure taken by Greece to control screen time; last year, mobile phones were outlawed in schools and parental control platforms were set up to monitor excessive screen time.
Similar legislation has been passed or proposed in several European countries, including France, Australia, Spain, Malaysia, Denmark, and Poland. A recent survey found that majorities of Europeans support banning under-16s from social media, with the highest approval rate in France.
The ban will restrict access to popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat for children born after 2012. Mitsotakis hopes that Greece’s move will lead to a unified European framework by 2027 to standardize online age-verification tools.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/08/greece-proposes-social-media-ban-under-15s-anxiety-sleep-problems