Addressing minors directly, Mitsotakis said he had spoken both to parents and to children about the effects of constant exposure to social media, referring to sleep problems, stress and the pressure of permanent online presence. He said Greece would be among the first countries to take such a step and added that the government’s aim was to push the European Union in the same direction.
The details of the new framework were set to be presented at a joint press conference at 1pm by Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou and Minister of State Akis Skertsos. According to the government’s plan, children under 15 will be barred from social media platforms, while the state will rely on age-verification mechanisms and oversight by the competent authorities to enforce the measure.
The government says the measure applies to platforms where users create profiles, post content and interact publicly. It does not include private communication services. Platforms will also be required to introduce reliable age-verification systems, including renewed checks on existing accounts.
Alongside the new restrictions, parents or guardians are expected to be able to use the Kids Wallet application as an additional control tool on children’s devices. The broader package also provides for filters aimed at preventing minors from accessing harmful content, including gambling platforms, tobacco and alcohol-related material, and dating or sexual content websites.
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