PM takes to TikTok to announce planned social media ban on under-15s
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took to TikTok Wednesday to announce a planned ban on access to social media by children and teenagers aged under 15, effective from next year.
Addressing youngsters in a video, Mitsotakis conceded that the measure might seem unfair, but insisted that it was necessary on health grounds.
“I am certain that many of you who are younger will be angry with me. If I were your age I might have felt the same,” he said. “But the addictive design of some apps, the profit model that’s based on your attention – on how long you spend in front of your mobile phone screen – and takes away some of your innocence and freedom, must end at some point.”
He said the proposals will be tabled in Parliament in the summer, with a view to coming into effect on January 1, 2027.
Mitsotakis’ conservative government has already banned use of mobile phones at primary and secondary schools, and has been talking about the social media restrictions for some time.
Several fellow European Union members, including France, Portugal and Spain, are planning similar action to restrict young people from using social media. Outside the EU, Australia was the first country to ban under-16s from social media platforms, while Britain’s government is also planning to introduce restrictions.
“Greece will be among the first countries to take such an initiative. but i am certain it will not be the last,” Mitsotakis said. “We intend to exert pressure on the European Union too in that direction.”
The prospect of bans has angered US officials and America’s powerful major technology firms that control social media.
In his address to young Greeks, Mitsotakis urged viewers to “consider and discuss” the issue with their friends.
“If something makes us feel more stressed, worse, less nice than we truly are, then perhaps it’s worth putting on the brakes,” he said.
“Our intention is not to remove you from technology, which can be a source of inspiration, of knowledge, of creativity … [But] science is clear: When a child spends hours in front of a screen its mind gets no rest.”
