ATHENS, Greece — Greece became the latest European Union country to unveil plans for a total social media ban for kids 15 and under in a move the country’s prime minister said aims to pressure the 27-member bloc into formalizing EU-wide age restrictions.
The new law will target social media platforms that enable the user to create profiles, interact with others and share content, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Once the legislation is enacted, social media platforms will be responsible for reverifying the ages of all users in the country to exclude those who are 15 years or under. Authorities say the state’s role will be limited to ensuring that social media platforms comply with the new law and will take action in case of any reported violations.
Violations will be reported to the authorities of the country in which the social media platform is based or to the EU’s executive arm. Penalties include fines of up to 6% of a company’s global turnover, daily fines until compliance or restrictions on operations.
In a video posted on social media on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took his message directly to kids, saying that the ban is for their own good because parents and young people themselves have confided in him that endless hours on social media platforms induce, stress, anxiety and sleeplessness.
“Now I’m certain that many young ones will be angry. If I was at your age, perhaps I’d feel the same way too. But our role, my role isn’t always to be pleasant,” Mitsotakis said.
“If something makes us feel more anxious or worse, lesser than who we really are, then it’s perhaps best that we put a stop to it.”
The Greek prime minister said the new law isn’t intended to keep young people away from technology but to protect them from the “addictive design of certain platforms and their profit model that’s grounded in how long you spend in front of a mobile phone screen that denies you your innocence and freedom.”
Mitsotakis said the new law is expected to be introduced this summer and put into effect on the first day of the new year.
Greece is following the example of France which earlier this year instituted its own social media ban on kids 15 and under.
In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Mitsotakis urged for a “unified European framework” by the end of the year to complement national initiatives to protect minors.
The Greek leader proposed an EU-wide social media ban for people 15 and younger, a standardized age verification mechanism, obligating platforms to reverify the age of users every two years and establishing a body for member states and the commission to assess incidents and quickly impose penalties.
Hadjicostis writes for the Associated Press.
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