Greece Blocks Social Media Access for Under-15s Starting Next Year

Tension between parental control and digital freedom has reached a breaking point in Greece. The country’s parliament has officially passed a bill that bans children under the age of 15 from using major social media platforms. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, making it one of the first such measures in the European Union.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pushed for this legislation earlier this year. He described the move as difficult but necessary. The rule covers popular services like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These platforms must now use reliable and proportionate methods to verify a user's age before granting access.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, argued against waiting for a broader European solution. He stated that children are increasingly sinking into the internet. A responsible government must act, he said, rather than waiting for a perfect EU law that may not arrive in time.

Non-compliance with the new act will result in fines under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Parents will also play a direct role in enforcement. They must download state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps pair with their child’s device to block access to the specified platforms.

Privacy remains a key concern for the government. The new apps use what are called age tokens. This technology confirms a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed. Papastergiou emphasized that these tools are designed to protect privacy during the verification process.

The path to passing the bill was not smooth. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the measure. However, Prime Minister Mitsotakis used his majority to push the bill through. This follows a previous national ban on mobile phones in schools, which took effect in 2024.

Public opinion appears to favor the change. Recent opinion polls indicate that a wide segment of Greece's adult population supports the social media ban for children. The government sees this domestic move as a way to influence broader policy.

Mitsotakis has stated that his government wants to push the EU in this direction. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act. However, that proposed law only mandates an outright ban for children under 13. Greece’s threshold is higher at 15.

Australia was the first country to enact a full social media ban for kids. That experience has shown that age verification is often the most challenging part of implementation. Greece now enters this territory, aiming to refine the process while setting a precedent for the rest of Europe.