Digital Age Restrictions: Greece Bans Social Media for Under-15s

Starting January 1, 2027, children in Greece who are under the age of 15 will be prohibited from accessing major social media platforms without specific verification. The Greek parliament has officially enacted this legislation, making it one of the first national bans of its kind within the European Union. The measure targets popular services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These platforms must implement proportionate and reliable methods to verify user ages before granting access to minors.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis originally proposed the measure earlier in 2026. He described the decision as difficult but necessary for the country. The bill faced opposition from minority parties in the legislature. However, the prime minister’s government used its majority status to secure the final passage of the law. This move follows a 2024 regulation that already restricted the use of mobile phones in Greek schools. Opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece broadly supports the new social media restrictions.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and artificial intelligence, defended the timing of the vote. He stated that it would have been easy for the government to wait for a perfect European law but argued that the challenge is immediate. Papastergiou noted that children are increasingly immersed in the internet every day. He maintained that a responsible government must take the actions it is obliged to take in this situation.

Compliance with the new act is enforced through the EU's Digital Services Act. Platforms that fail to meet the requirements face potential fines. To assist with enforcement and parental control, the state is introducing two specific applications. These apps, named Kids Wallet and Gov.gr, must be downloaded by parents and paired with their children's devices. The software is designed to block access to social media unless the age requirements are met.

Privacy is a central component of the technical implementation. The state-backed apps utilize age tokens to confirm a user's age. According to Papastergiou, this method minimizes the amount of personal data disclosed while still providing a reliable age check. This approach aims to protect the privacy of minors during the verification process.

The Greek government views this national law as a stepping stone for broader regional policy. Mitsotakis has stated that the goal is to push the European Union toward similar measures. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act to address this issue. However, that proposed legislation currently stipulates an outright ban only for children under the age of 13. Greece's new law extends the restriction to a wider age group, up to 15 years old.

Greece is not the first country to enact such a ban. Australia was the pioneer in implementing a full social media ban for children. However, the implementation of age verification systems in Australia has proven challenging. The Greek government hopes that its new framework will offer a clearer path for other nations and the EU to follow in regulating digital access for young users.

The law will remain in draft form until its effective date in early 2027. During this period, platforms and the state agencies involved will prepare the necessary infrastructure. Parents are expected to begin the process of downloading and setting up the required apps on their children's devices before the ban takes full effect. The transition aims to ensure a smooth shift toward the new regulatory standard.