Greece joins push to ban social media for minors

A growing number of countries are tightening rules governing children’s online activity amid fears of addiction.

Greece's ruling New Democracy party forced through the social media ban despite heated debates across two parliamentary sessions, despite having no support from other parties. [File: Ramil Stdikov/Reuters]

The Greek parliament has passed a law banning the use of social media by people under the age of 15.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s party, New Democracy, used its majority to pass the bill on Friday. None of the other political parties backed the bill in a heated debate that started on Thursday, despite the fact that a growing group of countries worldwide have introduced restrictions on minors.

list 1 of 3 Meta’s $18bn settlement: How social platforms will change for child users

list 2 of 3 Why social media has become an election issue in Brazil’s presidential race

list 3 of 3 Meta faces Australian lawsuit over alleged social media harm to children

Greece’s new laws will come into effect on January 1 2027. It will require age verification on social networks and impose harsh penalties should companies fail to comply.

Mitsotakis previously announced plans for the ban in April, taking to TikTok, one of the most popular social networks with young people in Greece, to explain the “difficult but necessary” measure that his government planned to take.

The opposition socialist PASOK party abstained from the vote, after seeking an alternative bill that would have banned social media for under-13s and parental controls for 13- and 14-year-olds.

The ban brings Greece into line with about 20 countries that now restrict access to social media apps for young people. Australia, France, Brazil, Indonesia, Austria, Denmark, and the UK are among those that have either introduced or plan similar restrictions.

Critics say social networks use addictive algorithms to glue kids to their screens, and warn excessive scrolling can damage their mental health.

Bans have also faced pushback though, with questions about their enforcement and how effective they really are.

出于对儿童沉迷网络的担忧，越来越多的国家正在收紧对儿童网络活动的监管规定。

尽管在两届议会期间经过激烈辩论，且未获得其他政党的支持，希腊执政的新民主党仍强行通过了社交媒体禁令。[图片：拉米尔·斯蒂科夫/路透社]

希腊议会通过了一项法律，禁止15岁以下的人使用社交媒体。

基里亚科斯·米佐塔基斯总理所在的“新民主党”利用其多数席位，于周五通过了这项法案。尽管全球越来越多的国家已经对未成年人实施了限制，但在周四开始的激烈辩论中，其他政党均未支持该法案。

Meta 180亿美元和解协议：社交平台将如何改变儿童用户体验（共3个列表，此为第1个）

列表 2/3：为什么社交媒体已成为巴西总统竞选中的一个选举议题

列表 3/3：Meta 因涉嫌社交媒体对儿童造成伤害而面临澳大利亚诉讼

希腊的新法律将于2027年1月1日生效。该法律将要求社交网络进行年龄验证，并对不遵守规定的公司处以严厉的处罚。

米佐塔基斯此前于 4 月宣布了这项禁令计划，他在希腊年轻人中最受欢迎的社交网络之一 TikTok 上解释了他的政府计划采取的这项“艰难但必要”的措施。

反对党泛希腊社会主义运动党（PASOK）在寻求一项替代法案后，弃权了该法案。该法案将禁止 13 岁以下儿童使用社交媒体，并对 13 岁和 14 岁儿童实施家长控制。

这项禁令使希腊加入了约20个国家的行列，这些国家目前限制年轻人使用社交媒体应用程序。澳大利亚、法国、巴西、印度尼西亚、奥地利、丹麦和英国等国已经实施或计划实施类似的限制措施。

批评人士称，社交网络利用令人上瘾的算法让孩子们沉迷于屏幕，并警告说过度浏览会损害他们的心理健康。

不过，这些禁令也面临着阻力，人们质疑它们的执行情况以及它们的实际效果。