Digital Age Limits: Greece Bans Under-15s from Social Networks

For families in Greece, the daily routine of children under 15 will shift significantly on January 1, 2027. From that date forward, kids in this age group will no longer have unrestricted access to popular social media platforms. Instead, their ability to use services like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X will depend on a new set of rules enforced by the state, marking a major change in how young people interact with the internet.

The Greek parliament has officially passed this legislation, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as a difficult but necessary step. This move places Greece among the first countries in the European Union to impose such a restriction. The law mandates that social media services must implement proportionate and reliable methods to verify the age of their users, ensuring that under-15s are identified and managed according to the new standards.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and artificial intelligence, explained the urgency behind the decision. He noted that waiting for a perfect European law was an option, but the current challenges demanded action. "Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," Papastergiou stated, emphasizing the immediate need for protection.

Compliance with the new act is not optional for platforms. If social media services fail to meet the requirements, they face fines under the existing EU Digital Services Act. To help parents manage their children's access, the government will require the use of state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with the child’s device to block access and ensure the digital environment remains secure.

Privacy remains a central focus of these new tools. According to Papastergiou, the apps are designed to minimize data collection. They utilize "age tokens" to confirm a user's age without revealing excessive personal information. This approach aims to protect children's digital footprints while allowing them to access age-appropriate content.

The path to passing the bill was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the measure, but Prime Minister Mitsotakis leveraged his majority to push the legislation through. This follows a previous step the nation took in 2024, when it barred mobile phones in schools. Recent opinion polls suggest that the adult population in Greece is largely supportive of this new social media ban for children.

Greece’s leadership views this national law as a catalyst for broader change. Mitsotakis has stated that the government aims to encourage the European Union to move in the same direction. While the EU has recently introduced the Kids Act, which proposes an outright ban only for children under 13, Greece’s stricter threshold for those under 15 may influence future European policy discussions.

The implementation of age verification remains a complex technical challenge globally. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, but it has faced difficulties in effectively carrying out age verification. Greece’s new system, with its reliance on specific government apps and age tokens, represents a different approach to solving this persistent issue as the law takes effect early next year.