The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has disclosed that the country will ban access to social media for children under 15 from January 1, 2027, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms. In a viral Wednesday video posted on TikTok, the Prime Minister said,……
The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has disclosed that the country will ban access to social media for children under 15 from January 1, 2027, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms.
In a viral Wednesday video posted on TikTok, the Prime Minister said, “We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old.”
“Greece is among the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure,” the prime minister said, adding that he would put pressure on the European Union to follow suit.
Mitsotakis said he used social media to announce so he could address teenagers and children directly, saying, “I know that some of you are going to be angry. Our aim is not to keep you away from technology but to combat addiction to certain applications that harm your innocence and your freedom.”
According to Reuters, an opinion poll by ALCO published in February showed about 80% of those surveyed approved of a ban.
The Greek government has already outlawed mobile phones in schools and set up parental control platforms to limit teenagers’ screen time.
“Greece will be among the first countries to take such an initiative,” Mitsotakis said. “I am certain, however, that it will not be the last. Our goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well.”
Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s (Google), YouTube, Meta’s (Meta), Instagram and Facebook.
Meta, Snapchat and TikTok have said they continued to believe Australia’s ban would not protect young people but committed to complying with it.
Other countries are also tightening rules on social media, with the United Kingdom, Malaysia, France, Denmark and Poland either considering a ban or in the process of legislating one.
Reauter also revealed that the Greek Prime Minister wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,
calling for coordinated European Union action, arguing that national measures alone would not be sufficient to protect minors from internet addiction.
In the letter, he proposed establishing an EU‑wide “digital age of majority” at 15, mandating age verification and regular re-verification for all platforms, and setting up a harmonised enforcement and penalty framework, urging the bloc to put a unified system in place by the end of 2026.
