Social Media Ban For Under-15s To Be Introduced In Greece

ATHENS, Oct 12 (NNN-dpa) -- Greece is set to become one of the first EU countries to ban children and young people under the age of 15 from accessing social media, reported German news agency dpa.

The ban, which is due to come into force on January 1, 2027, was presented on Monday by Minister of State Akis Skertsos at a press conference with other ministers in Athens. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had stated on TikTok back in April that such a ban was on the way.

"It is time for us to address the issue of potential digital addiction," Skertsos said. 

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis cited a survey of 2,500 school pupils, which found a quarter of those surveyed reported using social media excessively. 

One in five reported feeling nervous or insecure and experiencing concentration problems when they did not have access to their mobile phone.

According to Digital Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, European monitoring and sanction mechanisms are to be applied in the event of breaches by the platforms. Under the Digital Services Act, fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover are possible for certain breaches.

In September, the European Commission presented the EU Kids Act as a bloc-wide solution to protect minors online. 

It provides for a ban on social media for under-13s and requires users to be at least 15 years old to create their own accounts. The European Parliament and the Member States are currently discussing the proposal.

--NNN-dpa