Decisive steps towards limiting access to under 16s, in an attempt to further regulate the market on European terms, have recently been taken by many countries beyond Greece. Yesterday’s report that the Greek government is considering banning the use of social media by children under the age of 15 (despite the older one), joins our country in the ever-expanding list of European countries that take similar measures with the aim of improving the mental health of children, limiting their exposure to harmful content and online traps, as well as combating digital addiction.
What came before
The issue was discussed last November by the European Parliament, which in a resolution at the time called for the introduction of a minimum age limit for the use of social media, which concluded that it should be 16 years and that the use of social media in the age group of 13-16 years should only be done with the consent of the guardians.
The aim of this resolution, in addition to the above, was to regulate the operating conditions of the platforms, so that children are protected from possible online dangers, while according to the relevant publications, the ban also includes exposure to video playback platforms and products that use artificial intelligence (AI). MEPs pointed out at the time that online childhoods should be protected as much as physical ones, and that uncontrolled social media use “threatens to become a new digital epidemic” for mental health.
The European Commission, while maintaining the possibility of uniform legislation at EU level, was committed to giving member states the initiative to create their own national legislation, despite the fact that in a related debate in mid-October they agreed that age limits should be introduced on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and others.
National initiatives
Despite the accusations coming from the USA about the time-consuming procedures of the European institutions, but also of the governments to legislate or take measures on specific issues, in this matter the procedures seem to be moving extremely quickly.
So in France, the National Assembly just last week (and two months after the relevant debates in Brussels) voted in favor of a bill that prohibits access to social media for children under the age of 15. The new law that is expected to be implemented from the new school year, i.e. from September, also provides for the complete ban of mobile phones in schools (previously a law was passed banning mobile phones in all primary and secondary schools) and is in line with the provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
As French President Emmanuel Macron said on the issue: “This is what the scientists recommend and this is what most French people want. Because our children’s minds are not for sale, neither on the American platforms, nor on the Chinese platforms. Because their dreams shouldn’t be dictated by algorithms.” The law is expected to be considered by the Senate in the coming weeks.
Spain is considering adopting similar legislation, as according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, “the digital exploitation of children cannot be tolerated” and he described the platforms as a “digital Wild West” where children are exposed to all kinds of danger. Sanchez said Spain will introduce a bill next week to hold executives of social media companies responsible for any illegal content and hate speech that appears on their platforms. At the same time, the legislation under consideration will criminalize algorithmic manipulation and the enhancement of the dissemination of illegal content.
Among the measures being considered by Spain is the creation of a system to monitor hate speech online, while platforms will be required to introduce age verification systems that “will not be just checkboxes”.
Sanchez also said prosecutors are considering ways to investigate potential legal violations by Elon Musk’s Grok AI, as well as Meta’s TikTok and Instagram. According to what has become known, the ban will be incorporated into an amendment to an existing bill on the digital protection of minors, which is under discussion in parliament, without giving further details from government sources.
Corresponding legislative frameworks are being considered by Portugal, which proposes a limit of 16 years, but also by Denmark, Finland, Italy and Germany, with different ages and approaches, but with a common goal: protecting children from the dangers of social media.
It is noted that the British government of Keir Starmer appears willing to take a similar initiative.
Australia has already banned social media for minors
These moves also come in light of the ban on the use of social media imposed by Australia at the beginning of December. Despite the fact that in the country before the passing of the relevant law there was an intense public debate about this initiative and whether it constitutes a form of restriction of personal liberties and freedom of expression, the government ultimately led to the closure of approximately 5 million accounts of minors across all platforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the law’s December 10 implementation day “a moment of pride” for families and presented the law as proof that governments can take action to curb harmful online content, but also companies that have bypassed traditional security barriers.
As he said at the time: “This will make a huge difference. This is one of the biggest social and cultural changes our country has ever faced. It is a profound reform that will continue to have an impact around the world.” Giving his own response to critics of the law, Albanese had called on children to “start a new sport, learn a new musical instrument or read that book that has been sitting on the shelf for a long time”.
