The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, defended the initiative to limit access to social media for children under 15, arguing that platforms are designed to be addictive and that the state has a duty to protect minors and parents.

Speaking to infokids.gr, Kyriakos Mitsotakis placed the mental health of minors at the center of his intervention, as well as the pressure families face from the uncontrolled use of social media. He explained that the government’s initiative does not aim to exclude children from technology, but to curb addictive behaviors which, as he said, are fostered by the platforms themselves.

When asked why this announcement is being made now, while full implementation of the measure is scheduled for later, Kyriakos Mitsotakis responded that the discussion must begin immediately so that preparation can take place both domestically and at the European level. At the same time, he emphasized the role of parents, stating χαρακτηριστικά: “Parents are desperate, they say ‘what should I do? I can’t take the phone away from my child’.”

In the same context, he announced that the next chapter of the discussion will be gaming and online gambling. “This is the next chapter that will concern us,” he said, leaving open the possibility of more immediate interventions in this field as well.

The Prime Minister noted that “the scientific data are beyond dispute” and added that these findings now align with the experience of parents themselves, who see their children spending increasingly more time on their phones, mainly on applications with “addictive design features.”

As he explained, so-called infinite scrolling is designed to keep the user on the screen for as long as possible, because “this is how platforms make money.” He argued that there are now also court decisions abroad that recognize the addictive nature of this design and highlight companies’ responsibility toward more vulnerable users.

Watch the video, the full interview of the Prime Minister:

Interview of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Infokids and Eleni Daskalaki

In this context, he presented the two main tools that, as he said, the state provides to families.

The first is the ban itself, which allows a parent to invoke a universal rule: “my child, this is now illegal.”

The second is the technical ability to verify age, through digital identity and the Kids Wallet, so that from January 1, 2027, platforms will be required to verify users’ ages. “Just as today a kiosk owner is required to verify a child’s age—whether they are under or over 18—before selling them tobacco products or alcohol, the same must apply to platforms,” he said.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that national intervention alone is not sufficient, as European legislative support is also required. He explained that Greece needs the backing of the European Union, since the framework is governed by the Digital Services Act, and revealed that he has already informed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by letter. However, he made clear that even without immediate European backing, Greece “will still proceed on its own,” albeit with more limited ability to impose sanctions.

Responding to concerns that such a ban might push minors toward other, uncontrolled digital paths, Mr. Mitsotakis acknowledged that this is a “reasonable concern,” but argued that no law is applied perfectly. He nevertheless estimated that “the vast majority will comply,” and that the key objective is to change the culture and start an open discussion within families about whether children are actually happier spending endless hours on a platform.

At the same time, the Prime Minister sought to distinguish technology as a tool from its passive and addictive use. He stressed that the government is not “technophobic,” that digital skills must be taught, and that there are many uses of technology that are extremely useful, from educational videos to artificial intelligence applications. As he said, the goal is not to cut off access to technology, but “to cut off access to content that is trivial, yet keeps us stuck there watching and scrolling.”

He also placed particular emphasis on the need for parents not to treat screens as an easy solution. “We see even younger children. Families go out to eat at a restaurant and put an iPad in front of the child so they won’t cry, or because it’s the easy solution. But is this how we raise children? It’s convenience. Being a parent is difficult, and in today’s era it is even more difficult,” he said, outlining an approach that, as he noted, does not solve everything instantly but gives parents a stronger argument and a clearer framework.

The full interview follows:

Eleni Daskalaki: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much for choosing infokids for this interview, and I think we have many interesting things to discuss today.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Thank you.

Eleni Daskalaki: Be well.

I will try from the very first question to make some news. Please tell us, what exactly is this “6-7”?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: The “6-7”?

Eleni Daskalaki: Yes, this “6-7”.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Look, when we design a video mainly aimed at young people, we try—as the younger people who advise me have taught me—to include a hook, to start with something that will spark interest so that young people will watch it.

I first heard about “6-7” from my younger daughter, who is 22. My older daughter, who is 29, didn’t know what it was, so when it was suggested as an idea to attract attention, I said, very well, let’s do it.

And I think, judging at least from the views of yesterday’s video, it was a good decision to use this idea.

Because our goal, whenever we use social media, is to communicate with as many interested people as possible. And here, the interested audience is young people who are affected by this, and of course parents who are equally concerned. I think the message got across.

Eleni Daskalaki: The message got across. What struck me once again was a hook, as you call it, which we don’t actually know what it means. It went viral, which shows how powerful social media is.

So we are moving in the right direction, both nationally and at a European and global level, talking about banning young people under 15 from social media.

Your announcement yesterday had many views, sparked a lot of discussion, in the media, among friends, and in our homes. I think that was also your goal. But do you think it will be an easy process?

You have asked parents “to become allies in this effort.” You are giving them a tool. It is a very useful tool. But is it easy? Most parents are also hooked on their phones. How can I, who am like this all day, tell my children not to do the same?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, we need to explain in simple terms why we are proceeding with this initiative.

I believe that the scientific data are beyond dispute and, I would say, they intersect with the experience of parents themselves, as well as children, who now spend a great deal of time on their phones, mainly on applications that have addictive design features.

Eleni Daskalaki: That’s true.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: What we call infinite scrolling. It is designed by the platforms themselves so that we spend as much time as possible in front of our phones, because that’s how platforms make money.

This is their business model; they have not hidden it. In fact, there is already a very interesting ruling by an American court that imposes financial penalties on platforms precisely because it assessed that their design is inherently addictive, meaning these companies have an obligation to care for the mental health of especially the most vulnerable citizens, which are our young people.

We see it: attention deficit, poor concentration, cyberbullying, and for girls, a sense of inferiority compared to images of perfect beauty, which are often also products of artificial intelligence.

So we know well that these behaviors now have an impact on children’s mental health. And we cannot wait any longer—we cannot wait 5–10 years and essentially lose an entire generation that will grow up with significant mental health issues before we act.

Greece, therefore, is among the first countries in Europe moving in this direction. There is strong momentum. There is strong acceptance in society—I speak with many parents.

Eleni Daskalaki: There is, it’s true.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Parents are desperate; they say “what should I do? I can’t take the phone away from my child.” So now we give them two tools: the first is “my child, this is now illegal.”

Eleni Daskalaki: Yes, that will work.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: So if it’s illegal for you, it’s illegal for your friend as well.

And the second is the application itself, from 1/1/2027, where platforms will be required to verify users’ ages.

Since we now have digital identity, to put it simply, this is very easy to do. Just as today a kiosk owner must verify whether a child is under or over 18 before selling tobacco or alcohol, the same must apply to platforms. And we are giving them the tool.

Eleni Daskalaki: You are giving the tool both to platforms and to parents. I do have a concern, though, whether parents will be able to make use of this tool or whether we are at a critical point where it would be easier for them to become allies if they had more information or some form of training.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I should say that if they go to the platform parco.gov.gr, they will already find tools that allow them today to intervene and set restrictions and bans on applications on their child’s phone.

Eleni Daskalaki: You mean with the Kids Wallet.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: With the Kids Wallet, exactly. They can do this right now. But that alone is not enough. What we are saying is: “you are 14 years old, you want to sign up to a platform—the platform will block you, it will not be able to open an account for you. Or if you have an account, it will deactivate it.”

However, for this to be fully implemented, we also need Europe’s support. We need this to become European legislation in some way, because today Greece cannot impose sanctions on platforms, since this legislation is European—the Digital Services Act.

But I can tell you that the President of the European Commission, to whom I sent a letter yesterday informing her of this initiative, is moving in this direction, and I believe that very soon this initiative will also gain a European legislative framework.

And I believe that ultimately the United States, because parents there face the same problems, will also be forced to tell platforms: “stop, you will not make money from our children.”

There are many uses of technology that are extremely useful—educational videos, artificial intelligence tools that can genuinely help our children—but “no” to infinite scrolling and “no” to behaviors that literally “burn our brains.”

Eleni Daskalaki: They really do.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Let me say something else: this applies to us as well.

Eleni Daskalaki: Of course.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: If there is addiction, it is not only among young people. But we are adults, and there are limits to what the state can do for adults. For children, however, the Constitution gives us a special responsibility to protect them.

Eleni Daskalaki: That’s true.