Greece has joined a coalition of European nations pushing for unified legislation to ban or strictly limit social media access for children under 15, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou announced.
In an interview with state broadcaster ERT, Mr. Papastergiou confirmed Athens is coordinating with France, Spain, and Denmark to combat the mental health risks posed by addictive algorithms. He argued that age-based restrictions are urgent, noting that minors increasingly communicate solely through "images and hearts without real interaction."
The proposed framework targets platforms with continuous video feeds and may utilize digital tools like a "Kids Wallet" for strict age verification. However, Mr. Papastergiou acknowledged that state regulation requires parental support to be effective.
"Children’s digital lives cannot remain unregulated," Mr. Papastergiou said, also calling for stricter oversight of online gaming and artificial intelligence to protect youth from deepfakes and deceptive content.
Separately, the minister unveiled plans to modernize road safety enforcement, announcing a tender for thousands of digital cameras nationwide to automatically penalize speeding and mobile phone use while driving.