STORY: In the Bitis family, there are contrasting views on the Greek government's plans to impose a social media ban for children under 15.

Fifteen-year old Giannis Bitis, who uses Tik Tok and Instagram, says social media is a crucial communication tool for teenagers, one they cannot do without.

Although at 15 he will fall short of the ban if imposed at that age, Giannis has been on social media since he was nine, and says for young people it has become a regular part of life and a way of talking and keeping in touch with friends, which could be affected by the ban.

It is also a tool for useful information, he adds, despite the inappropriate content, and thinks kids will find a way around the ban.

Ten-year old Sofiana, whose parents impose stricter limits on the hours she spends on social media, agrees it would feel strange not being able to access it freely. She watches YouTube for enjoyment and relaxation after coming home from swimming practice.

Mother Kelly Nika welcomes the ban however, saying it would help parents who struggle to keep kids out of the social media world, as they cannot be constantly monitoring them, especially if they are with other friends.

The age is appropriate, she says, as it gives kids time to mature and better assess what they are seeing.

Greece said on Tuesday (February 3) it was "very close" to announcing a social media ban for children below the age of 15, following countries such as Spain, Britain, France and Australia.

A January poll of 1,000 respondents conducted over five days by Alco pollsters for Greece’s Alpha TV shows 80% of Greeks would support such a ban.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FAMILY TOGETHER IN KITCHEN, LOOKING AT PHONES, COMPUTERS/CHILDREN IN THEIR ROOMS/MOTHER, SON AND DAUGHTER COMMENTING

EDITORS PLEASE ALSO SEE EDIT 2630-GREECE-SOCIAL MEDIA/REACTION FOR REACTION BY A CRIMINOLOGIST TO SOCIAL MEDIA BAN

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: ATHENS, GREECE (FEBRUARY 4, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF GIANNIS BITIS WORKING ON THE COMPUTER IN HIS ROOM

2. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) GIANNIS BITIS, 15, SAYING

“Certainly for many kids it is an integral part of their lives, and I don’t think it is so easy to be taken away by a law.”

3. GIANNIS ON COUCH WITH SOFIANA BITI

4. GIANNIS WITH PHONE

5. PHONE IN HAND

6. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) GIANNIS BITIS, 15, SAYING:

“A lot of kids that have engaged in social media from the age of 13 will have great difficulty now getting used to being without it if this is removed from their lives, because this is the way they keep contact with their friends, they communicate, and even though they are not communicating face to face, I believe this is a type of communication that if it is cut off, it will also cut off relationships between the kids.”

7. GIANNIS ON SOFA

8.(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) GIANNIS BITIS, 15, SAYING:

“Of course there are inappropriate things that are not for our age, but there is also a lot of information on (social media), which we can learn things from.”

9. GIANNIS WITH MOM KELLY NIKA AND SOFIANA

10. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) GIANNIS BITIS, 15, SAYING

“I believe there are kids that will for sure find their way around the law, either with VPN or with some other way, so I don’t believe it will be 100 percent effective, but sure it could restrict some kids from entering social media.”

11. SOFIANA BITI IN HER ROOM LOOKING AT TABLET

12.(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) SOFIANA BITI, 10, SAYING

“It would be really difficult, because I have gotten used to watching (social media) for one, two hours on the weekend after practice, so I can relax, so it would feel different for me.”

13. VARIOUS OF FATHER GEORGE BITIS, MOTHER KELLY NIKA, GIANNIS BITIS AND SOFIANA BITI LOOKING AT COMPUTERS, TABLETS AND PHONES

14. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) MOTHER KELLY NIKA, 44, SAYING:

“It will really help the parents place limits, at a moment there is no tool to convince kids not to be in there. Because this is not something just the state or a law can do, I really believe it is a tool that can help parents and the school even to convince kids to be outside that world.”

15.VARIOUS OF FAMILY AT TABLE

16. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) MOTHER KELLY NIKA, 44, SAYING:

“A lot of kids try to induce other kids to see things they have seen, so with this type of ban, that pressure will end.”

17.VARIOUS OF SOFIANA LOOKING AT PHONE

18. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) MOTHER, KELLY NIKA, 44, SAYING:

“I believe that if smaller children grow up with this ban they will live real experiences of life, they will hang out with friends, they will be social, they will live in the real world, they will face real problems, and real issues, so this can only be positive. We will give them time to mature, and then after 15, 16, they will enter the digital world and use it as they think best.”

19.KELLY SAYING TO GIANNIS: (Greek) “Giannis, the truth is you are lucky, we have to admit.” REFERRING THAT HE WILL JUST MISS THE BAN IF IT IS IMPOSED FOR THOSE UNDER 15.

20. KELLY TAKING HANDS OF THE TWO CHILDREN