Mitsotakis Urges EU to Protect Children from AI Risks

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted Greece’s ambition to lead in shaping AI policy during a discussion with UK Baroness Beeban Kidron at "The Lyceum Project 2025 – Children in the Age of AI" conference. He emphasized the urgent need to address the mental health risks children face in the digital world, comparing tech companies’ practices to the tobacco industry by fostering addiction through algorithm design, CE Report quotes Athens-Macedonia

“This is not just innovation—it challenges our very understanding of consciousness and human will,” Mitsotakis said, warning that children are treated as adults online despite their vulnerability.

He criticized the lack of regulation, calling the digital environment an “unprecedented global experiment” on young people. Citing the "Kids Wallet" initiative, he stressed the importance of EU-wide rules and urged leaders to prioritize two fronts: defending democracy and protecting youth.

Mitsotakis called for practical tools like usage limits, content filters, and more sports infrastructure, underlining that platforms must be held accountable for the content they host.

“I plan to keep raising this issue globally,” he concluded, framing the protection of children in the AI age as a moral and political imperative.