Athens: The Greek parliament has approved legislation banning children under 15 from accessing social media from January 1, 2027, Greek media reported Friday.
The legislation requires social media platforms to implement age-verification measures to ensure compliance. Companies that fail to meet the requirements could face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global annual turnover.
Addressing parliament ahead of the vote on Thursday evening, Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou described the measure as a necessary step that is compatible with the European Union’s (EU) existing regulatory framework, Xinhua News Agency reported.
“It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law. But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do,” he said.
Minister of State Akis Skertsos said technology should be regulated in ways that give children greater freedom to grow up safely.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described digital addiction as a public health challenge. Excessive use of social media can negatively affect children’s sleep, concentration, social relationships and psychological development, he said.
The legislation forms part of broader government efforts to protect children from harmful online content, cyberbullying and platform features that encourage excessive use.
Greece aims to become the first EU member state to introduce such a ban, the government has said.
The French parliament passed legislation on July 21 aimed at protecting minors from the risks associated with social media use. However, the French Constitutional Council ruled on August 14 that the key provision banning under-15s from accessing social media was unconstitutional.
Australia banned social media for under-16s in December last year.
The Australian federal parliament passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 in November 2024, requiring certain social media platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children under 16 from having accounts.
(IANS)
