Papastergiou: Platforms Could Have Prevented the Social Media Ban

Greece is pressing up with authorities that would bar children under the property of 15 from accessing κοινωνικά media platforms, with a ceremonial rollout acceptable for the start of 2027. Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou discussed the details of the argumentation successful an interrogation this week, shedding airy connected however the authorities plans to instrumentality it and the obstacles that could stand successful the way.

Speaking connected the Greek TV transmission MEGA, Papastergiou confirmed that the draft bill has already been submitted to the European Union for a compatibility reappraisal with existing EU law, a required procedural step for authorities of this kind. He expects it to wide the Greek Parliament earlier the summertime recess. “Before the summer, the measure passes,” Papastergiou said. “We start connected Jan. 1, 2027.”

The delayed implementation day is intentional. Authorities program to use the intervening months, opening successful September, to pass and amended parents astir what the caller rules will mean successful signifier and why their information will beryllium captious to making the instrumentality work.

The Loophole Problem

Papastergiou was candid astir the legislation’s astir glaring vulnerability: enforcement. He acknowledged that property verification unsocial won’t beryllium capable if children tin simply get a parent’s telephone to corroborate their property and slip done the system. “If the level asks for property verification and the kid picks up mom’s oregon dad’s telephone to confirm, we’ve done nothing,” helium said.

To code this, the curate pointed to a parallel track: the improvement and promotion of specialized devices designed specifically for minors — devices that would artifact κοινωνικά media entree wholly while still allowing wide nett use. “The nett is simply a tool,” helium said. “We won’t turn backmost the clock. But let’s not use κοινωνικά media, astatine slightest not until the property of 15.”

Platforms Hold the Key

Papastergiou placed important work connected the κοινωνικά media companies themselves, making wide that the law’s success hinges connected their willingness to cooperate. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, platforms would beryllium required to re-verify the property of users whose accounts cannot beryllium confirmed arsenic belonging to an adult.

He was nonstop astir why the authorities had landed connected an outright prohibition alternatively than softer measures. “We’ve had galore discussions, and we could person gone with milder measures — restrictions alternatively than bans — if there had been amended cooperation,” helium said.

He described the roadworthy not taken: “If platforms had travel guardant connected their ain and said, ‘We’re ensuring verified insignificant accounts person clip limits, we’re disabling infinite scroll, we’re confirming they won’t person entree to harmful content,’ we wouldn’t person gotten to a ban.”

The curate acknowledged that psychologists and kid improvement experts person raised concerns astir the effectiveness of broad prohibitions, but argued that the lack of meaningful self-regulation by platforms near the authorities with fewer alternatives.

Anonymous Accounts successful the Crosshairs

Beyond the κοινωνικά media prohibition for minors, Papastergiou signaled that anonymous κοινωνικά media accounts are a abstracted but related interest the authorities wants to tackle. He argued that online anonymity poses a genuine menace to antiauthoritarian societies, and said Greece is working to assistance signifier a coordinated European response. The curate nevertheless noted that immoderate durable λύση would request to beryllium pursued astatine the EU level, fixed the bloc’s unified integer marketplace rules. “Democracies person superior problems from the toxicity of online anonymity,” helium said. “If we see this a occupation — and we bash — we request to find ways to code it.”

He noted that galore platforms beryllium financially connected anonymous accounts, making voluntary enactment connected their portion unlikely without regulatory unit from above.