Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has defended plans to prohibit children below the age of 15 from accessing social media, arguing that the measure is necessary to address growing concerns over youth mental health.
As reported by eKathimerini, Mitsotakis announced the proposal via TikTok, outlining the government’s intention to introduce the ban from next year. In follow-up remarks published on infokids.gr, he criticised what he described as “infinite scrolling”, claiming that platforms are deliberately designed to maximise user time online for commercial gain.
“Parents are desperate,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the legislation would give them two weapons. The first is the ability to tell their children that social media use would be unlawful under the new rules. The second is the requirement for companies to implement mandatory age verification from 1 January 2027.
Under the proposal, platforms would be required to verify users’ ages before granting access. The prime minister also urged parents to make use of state-backed guidance available through parco.gov.gr, which provides advice on device settings and application restrictions.
The initiative forms part of a broader digital regulation strategy. Mitsotakis indicated that gaming and online gambling will be the next sectors to face age-related controls, reflecting concerns over young people’s exposure to addictive online environments.
He also raised questions about artificial intelligence in education, noting that such tools are already being used by students to complete homework and warning that policymakers must decide how to respond to this evolving reality.
Parents will be directed to parco.gov.gr for guidance on device controls and application restrictions under the new framework
