Greece plans to soon ban access to social media for children under 15, government sources say, adding that working groups have been set up. Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said his office is ready to implement the measure from the day it is announced by the prime minister.
Papastergiou said Europe was forced over the summer to issue common guidance on age verification and that Greece is the only country to have implemented it. He referred to the Kids Wallet parental control application developed by the Greek government and the Wallet application, through which users’ ages on social media platforms in Greece will be verified.
He said France is expected to be ready for a similar type of age verification within the next two months, while other countries will likely adopt simpler models based on Australia.
Australia was the first to legislate to restrict teenagers’ access to social media, with the law in force since December 10. Australia’s telecommunications safety regulator said last month that from the day the law took effect it approved the removal of 4.7 million user accounts from specific platforms. Since December 10, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit and X, as well as streaming platforms Kick and Twitch, have been required to bar access for users under 16.
Spain is also moving in that direction. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain intends to apply a similar ban, adding that starting next week teenagers under 16 will no longer have access to social media. He said the measure is one of five actions his government will take against platforms.
“Today, our children are exposed to a space that was never intended for them to discover on their own: a space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence. We will not accept it anymore. We will protect them from the digital Wild West,” Sanchez said.
In France, lawmakers passed a bill last week banning social media use by children under 15 and mobile phone use in schools. Although supported by President Emmanuel Macron, it must still pass the Senate. “The feelings of our children and teenagers are not for sale or manipulation by American platforms or Chinese algorithms,” Macron said.
In Britain, the House of Lords has backed a similar ban, though it must still pass the House of Commons before becoming law; while Portugal is also considering restrictions that would limit access for teenagers under 16 unless parental consent is granted.