Greece to ban social media for under-15s from 2027

By Lawrence Agbo

Greece has announced plans to ban access to social media for children under the age of 15, with the policy set to take effect from January 1, 2027.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis disclosed the decision in a video shared on TikTok, describing the move as “difficult but necessary” to address growing concerns over digital addiction among young users.

“We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old,” he said.

According to him, the measure is aimed at protecting children’s mental health and development, rather than restricting access to technology entirely.

He noted that excessive screen time can negatively impact brain function and overall well-being.

“I know that some of you are going to be angry… our aim is not to keep you away from technology but to combat addiction to certain applications that harm your innocence and your freedom,” he said.

“Science is clear: when a child is in front of screens for hours, their brain does not rest,” he added.

Mitsotakis added that Greece is among the first countries to adopt such a policy and revealed plans to push for similar regulations across the European Union.

“Greece is among the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure,” the prime minister said.

The development places Greece alongside a growing list of countries proposing a ban on youth access to social media.

Australia has already introduced measures requiring platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat to remove accounts belonging to users under 16 or face penalties, while Indonesia has begun enforcing a similar ban.

Austria, Spain and Denmark have also signalled intentions to introduce restrictions or set a minimum digital age for social media use.