Greece to Ban Social Media Use for Children Under 15 Starting Next Year

Greece will legally ban teenagers under the age of 15 from using social media starting next year.

According to Reuters, AFP, and other foreign media outlets on the 24th (local time), the Greek parliament passed a bill the previous day prohibiting children under 15 from using social media starting January 1 of next year.

Lawmakers reportedly engaged in fierce debates for two days starting from the 22nd over the bill.

Following the discussions, the bill was passed under the leadership of the ruling New Democracy party, which holds a majority of seats.

Foreign media reported that other political parties did not support the bill.

The bill also includes provisions requiring social media platforms to verify users' ages and heavily penalizing companies that fail to comply.

The Greek government has been pushing for a policy to ban teenagers from using social media since April.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis even actively promoted the policy himself, utilizing the popular social media platform TikTok for the promotion at the time.

As the harms caused by teenager social media addiction grow, an increasing number of countries worldwide are restricting children and teenagers from using social media.

According to AFP, more than 20 countries have pursued policies to ban or restrict teenagers' social media use to date.

The European Union (EU) also announced last month that it will push for the "EU Kids Act," which would completely ban children under 13 from using social media across all 27 member states.

France previously pursued a policy to prevent teenagers under 15 from creating social media accounts, but the initiative hit a roadblock due to a constitutional court ruling.

The French government is revising and re-pushing the bill, stating that the Constitutional Council did not deny the necessity of the legislation itself.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.