Greece bans social media for those under 15 starting 2027

Greece has officially become one of the first nations in Europe to legislate a strict age limit for social media use.

The Greek parliament has passed a bill that prohibits children under the age of 15 from using major social media platforms. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the measure earlier this year, describing the legislative process as difficult but necessary. The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. It applies to popular services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These platforms are now required to implement age-verification methods that are both reliable and proportionate to their user base.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, emphasized the urgency of the situation. He stated that waiting for a perfect European law would have been easy but insufficient. Papastergiou noted that children are increasingly sinking into the internet daily. He argued that a responsible government must act on its obligations rather than wait for broader continental agreement. This stance highlights a shift toward national action in the face of complex digital challenges.

The legislation mandates specific technical and parental controls to enforce the new age limit. Platforms that fail to comply will face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. Parents will be required to download state-backed applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with the child's device to block access to restricted services. The system is designed to protect privacy by using age tokens. These tokens allow platforms to confirm a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed during the verification process.

The path to enactment was not without political friction. Minority parties in Greece opposed the bill, but the ruling majority government pushed the legislation through parliament. This move follows a previous decision in 2024 to ban mobile phones in schools. Recent opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece widely supports the new social media restrictions for children. The government appears to be capitalizing on this public sentiment to drive its digital agenda forward.

The Greek government aims to use this national law as a catalyst for broader change within the European Union. Mitsotakis has stated that the goal is to push the EU in the same direction. The European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act, which aims to address similar issues. However, that proposed law currently stipulates an outright ban only for children under the age of 13. Greece's threshold of 15 is therefore more restrictive than the current EU proposal.

Greece is not the first country to attempt a social media ban for minors. Australia was the initial pioneer in enacting a full ban for children. However, the experience in Australia has shown that implementing effective age verification remains a significant technical challenge. Greece's approach combines legal mandates with specific app-based tools to navigate these difficulties. The January 2027 start date provides platforms and parents with time to prepare for the new requirements.

The implementation of this law will require close cooperation between the state, technology companies, and families. The use of age tokens represents a specific technical solution to the privacy concerns often raised in age verification debates. As the 2027 deadline approaches, observers will watch how effectively these systems are deployed. This development marks a significant step in the global regulatory landscape for digital youth protection.