Greece passes law banning social media for children under 15

Greece’s parliament has approved a law barring children under the age of 15 from using social media, adding the country to a growing list of nations seeking to restrict young people’s access to online platforms.

The ban was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in April. He shared the plan on TikTok, a popular platform among young people in Greece, describing the move as “difficult but necessary”.

The legislation was passed after a parliamentary debate that began on Thursday and continued into Friday.

Mitsotakis’s ruling New Democracy party secured its passage using its parliamentary majority, while no other party supported the bill, according to the Ana news agency.

The socialist Pasok party abstained from the vote. It had proposed a different approach that would have barred children under 13 from social media and required parental controls for those aged 13 and 14. Other left-wing and nationalist parties voted against the legislation.

The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1. It will require social media companies to verify users’ ages and face heavy penalties if they fail to meet the requirements.

Greece’s move follows similar efforts in other countries to limit children’s use of social media.

Australia became the first country to introduce a ban for children under 16 last year. According to an AFP tally, more than 20 countries have passed comparable laws.