Greece is set to become the first European country to automatically block minors’ access to online gambling.
The country are reportedly ready to implement the initiative as early as next month, which will see children under the age of 18 restricted from accessing gambling and tobacco retail sites – as well as services related to alcohol and pornography.
Minors under the age of 15 will also be unable to use social media platforms. The system will be powered by the state-run Kids Wallet mobile app, which verifies users’ ages and filters content directly on devices.
Parents are required to create a parent-child account using their online tax identification credentials, which is followed by setting usage permissions and daily limits before confirming the child’s age with official documents.
The app’s use remains voluntary for now but it’s expected that Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will make it mandatory. It integrates with Greece’s government services platform which is already used for taxes.
Mitsotakis has been widely outspoken against the uncontrolled use of social media for young people, saying at an event in Australia:
“We are conducting the largest uncontrolled experiment ever with the minds of our children. We do not know what the consequences will be, but we are almost certain that they will not be positive.”
A delegation from the European Commission is scheduled to visit the Greek capital of Athens shortly to receive and provide technical guidance in line with the executive body’s rules for protecting children online.
Australia are in a similar position and next month they will enforce age restrictions on social media and online dating platforms for under-16s starting on October 10th due to risks of algorithmic manipulation and exploitation.
Studies have suggested that algorithms on platforms like TikTok mimic gambling reward mechanisms and create compulsive behaviours that can impact a child’s attention, memory and emotional regulation.
Recently the Australian government was called upon by the country’s Gambling Research Centre to urgently consider gambling reform amid a surge in participation and harm over the past six years.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
