Greece has announced plans to bar children under 15 from accessing social media, positioning itself at the forefront of a growing European movement to tighten restrictions on young users and challenge the power of major tech platforms.
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the country would prohibit children under the age of 15 from using social media.
The measure is expected to be adopted next summer and will come into force on January 1, 2027. Mitsotakis said Greece was among the first European countries to introduce such restrictions and expressed confidence that others would follow.
“Our aim is to put pressure on the European Union in this direction,” he said.
Greece is the latest in a number of European nations seeking to limit children’s and teenagers’ access to social media. Such initiatives within the EU could heighten tensions with US president Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised the bloc’s approach to digital regulation, particularly where it affects major American technology companies.
Elsewhere, Australia introduced a law in December 2025 banning social media use for teenagers under 16, requiring platforms to implement safeguards preventing underage users from creating and maintaining accounts.
In February 2026, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced plans to introduce a similar ban for those under 16. That same month, Lithuanian MP Daiva Ulbinaitė proposed legislation to restrict minors’ access to social media and oblige platforms to carry out effective age verification.
