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

Starting January 1, 2027, children under the age of fifteen will no longer be able to freely access major social media platforms in Greece, marking a significant shift in how the European Union regulates digital childhood. The legislation, now official after passing through the national parliament, represents one of the earliest domestic moves of its kind within the bloc to place strict age limits on popular online services.

The rule applies to widely used platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. To enforce the restriction, these services are mandated to implement age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable. This legal framework ensures that access is not merely self-declared but verified through specific technical standards, creating a barrier that distinguishes younger users from their older counterparts on the same networks.

The initiative was championed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who initially proposed the measure earlier this year. He characterized the bill as “difficult but necessary,” acknowledging the complexity of the task while emphasizing the government's duty to act. The bill faced opposition from minority parties, but the prime minister’s majority government successfully pushed the legislation through to enactment.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, argued against the temptation of inaction. He noted that it would have been simple to do nothing and wait for a perfect European-wide law, but he believed the challenge was immediate. “Children are sinking into the internet every day,” Papastergiou said, asserting that a responsible government must fulfill its obligations rather than delay action for the sake of broader continental coordination.

Compliance with the new act is backed by the EU’s Digital Services Act, meaning that platforms failing to meet the new standards will face fines. To help parents manage their children's access, the state is introducing two specific applications: Kids Wallet and Gov.gr. These apps must be downloaded by parents and paired with their child’s device to block unauthorized access, providing a direct tool for household digital management.

These government-backed applications are designed with privacy as a priority. According to Papastergiou, they utilize “age tokens” to confirm a user’s age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed. This approach aims to protect user privacy by reducing the volume of sensitive information that platforms collect during the verification process, addressing common concerns about data security.

The move follows a 2024 national decision to bar mobile phones in schools, signaling a broader trend in Greek policy toward regulating young people's technology use. Opinion polls indicate that the new social media ban for children has widespread support among the adult population, suggesting that the legislative effort aligns with public sentiment regarding digital exposure for minors.

Mitsotakis has stated that his government’s goal is to push the European Union in the same direction. While the European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act, that proposed legislation only stipulates an outright ban for children under thirteen. Greece’s threshold of fifteen places it ahead of the current European proposal, following in the footsteps of Australia, which was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, though that country has faced challenges in implementing its age-verification systems.