The Greek parliament has passed a law banning the use of social media by people under the age of 15, joining a growing number of countries imposing curbs on young people’s use of the apps. Greece’s new laws will come into effect on January 1, 2027. It will require age verification on social networks and impose harsh penalties should companies fail to comply.

Why in the news?

  • The growing negative influence of social media on children has become a concern across the world.
  • 23 October 2026, the Greek parliament passed a law banning the use of social media by people under the age of 15
  • This law will come into effect on 1st January 2027.

Key Provisions of the Law

  • The law prohibits minor children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms.
  • The act imposed responsibility on social media companies to implement age verification systems.
  • The act also threatens to impose huge penalties in case of failure to comply with the norms.

Other Countries That Have Imposed Social Media Bans

Several countries worldwide have introduced social media bans or strict age-based access restrictions, citing concerns ranging from state and political control to child safety, mental health, and social media addiction.

  • Australia: Banned social media for children under 16 since December 2025.
  • Malaysia: Imposed an active ban for individuals under 16.
  • Indonesia: Imposed restrictions on high-risk social media access for children under 16 years of age.
  • Brazil: Introduced a law mandating children under 16 to link their social media account to a legal guardian.
  • United Kingdom: The government has announced plans to ban major platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, etc for children.
  • France: imposed a social media ban on children under 15, but the law was struck down by the Constitutional Court on the grounds of freedom of speech and expression.

Other countries planning to ban include Norway, the European Union, Canada, India and Turkey.

Arguments in Favour of the Ban on Social Media for Children

  1. Protect mental health of children: Excessive social media use is often linked with sleep disruption, anxiety, fear of missing out, and reduced concentration. Features like endless scrolling, addictive algorithm patterns, and personalised recommendations can encourage continuous use of social media.
  2. Reduce exposure to Cyberbullying: Restrictions on social media can provide an additional layer of protection for children.
  3. Responsibility of social media platforms: These legislations and acts impose responsibility on social media platforms to check and review their addictive algorithm patterns.
  4. Limits harmful content: Age restrictions can reduce exposure to violent and sexualized material for children. Otherwise children are most vulnerable to consumption of such type of content.

Arguments Against the Restriction on use of Social media for children

  1. Privacy risks: Age checks may require IDs, facial scans, or other sensitive data. This can create data breach risks. This also makes every user, not just minors, subject to intrusive verification.
  2. Restricts freedom of expression and access to information: Social media can help children access educational material, express their opinions, and participate in public discussions. A blanket ban may restrict these opportunities along with harmful content.
  3. Difficult to enforce: Children may bypass restrictions using false birth dates, alternate services, and illegal sites. A ban could therefore push children towards more dangerous scenarios.
  4. May not address the root causes: restrictions do not alter the basic concern of harmful algorithms and exploitative design.
  5. One age limit may not suit every child: every child has a different level of maturity and experiences. With the restriction, other measures like parental guidance are required.

India’s approach to Child Safety in Digital Environment

India faces similar challenges because children use smartphones, social media, online games, and digital learning platforms. But a blanket ban should not be the solution; the policy objective should be to protect children without excessively restricting access to educational resources and beneficial online communities.

1. Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 establishes a framework for processing digital personal data and contains specific provisions concerning children. The Act defines a child as someone who has not completed 18 years of age. Collecting and processing data of children requires informed parental consent.

2. Information Technology Act and related rules

The Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 are important legislation regarding the digital regulatory framework. They uphold intermediary responsibilities and aspects of online compliance.

Way Forward

India and other countries need to adopt a balanced approach to balance the rights of children and the protection of children:

  • Risk-based regulation: Impose stronger safeguards on services that pose greater risks to children, including those using addictive design features or exposing minors to harmful content.
  • Child participation: Consult children, educators, child-rights experts and civil society when developing policies that directly affect young people.
  • Independent evaluation: Assess the impact of restrictions through transparent reporting, research and periodic reviews.
  • Parental and school support: Provide parents and educators with practical guidance rather than placing the entire burden of enforcement on families.
  • Digital literacy: Educate children about online safety, misinformation, cyberbullying, privacy and healthy screen habits.
  • Safety by design: Require platforms to consider children’s safety when designing recommendation systems, default privacy settings, notifications and reporting tools.

Conclusion

Greece’s legislation highlights the growing recognition that child safety in the digital age requires more than individual parental supervision. Government of India is increasingly considering the responsibilities of platforms, age verification and stronger safeguards against online harms. Effective policy must combine proportionate regulation, privacy-preserving technology, digital literacy, parental support and accountable platforms.