Greece sets age limit for social media access starting next year

European nations have long debated how to protect young users in the digital age, but Greece has moved from discussion to legislation. The country’s parliament has officially approved a ban on social media for children under the age of 15, marking a significant shift in how the region approaches youth online safety.

The law is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. It applies to major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services are required to implement age-verification methods that are both reliable and proportionate to the user's age. If companies fail to comply with these new standards, they face fines under the existing EU Digital Services Act.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the measure as "difficult but necessary" when he first proposed it earlier this year. He noted that his government aims to encourage the rest of the European Union to follow a similar path. Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, argued that waiting for a perfect European law was no longer an option. He stated, "Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do."

To enforce the ban, parents will be required to download specific state-backed applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These tools must be paired with their child's device to block access to social networks. Papastergiou explained that the apps are designed to protect privacy by using "age tokens." This technology allows platforms to confirm a user's age without collecting excessive personal data.

The legislative process was not without friction. Minority parties opposed the bill, but the prime minister's majority government secured its passage. The move builds on previous efforts, such as the 2024 ban on mobile phones in schools. Recent opinion polls suggest that the adult population in Greece broadly supports the new restrictions on children's social media use.

Greece is not the first country to tackle this issue. Australia implemented a full social media ban for kids first, though it has faced challenges in effectively implementing age verification. Meanwhile, the European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act. However, that proposed legislation only mandates an outright ban for children under 13, making Greece's threshold for under-15s a more stringent standard for the time being.