Greece's Social Media Age Limits: A National Ban

Greece has enacted a law banning children under 15 from accessing major social media platforms, a significant step that will take effect on January 1, 2027. This makes it one of the first nations in the European Union to impose such a widespread age restriction on social media use for minors. The legislation, which was passed by Greece's parliament, covers popular services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

The law mandates that these platforms implement reliable and proportionate methods for verifying a user's age. For enforcement, parents will be required to use state-backed applications named Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps are linked to a child's device to control access and are designed to protect user privacy. They utilize age tokens to confirm a person's age while minimizing the amount of personal data that is collected or disclosed.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who first announced the measure earlier this year, described the bill as 'difficult but necessary.' The government's position is that the issue of children's online activity requires immediate action rather than waiting for a unified European policy. As digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou stated, 'the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do.'

The bill was passed using the majority held by the government, as it faced opposition from minority parties. The measure appears to have public backing, with opinion polls indicating that a majority of Greek adults support the ban. This legislative action follows a previous step taken by Greece in 2024 to prohibit mobile phones in schools, showing a continued focus on regulating technology's role for young people.

The primary claim driving the law is that restricting access is a necessary measure to protect children in the digital space. Failure by social media platforms to comply with the new act will result in fines under the European Union's Digital Services Act. The government's stated goal, according to Mitsotakis, is to influence similar policy across the bloc, saying his government's 'goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well.'

However, the European Union has not adopted a similar ban for this age group. The European Commission's recently introduced EU Kids Act only mandates an outright ban for children under 13. Greece's law therefore sets a higher age threshold than the current EU framework, positioning the country ahead of continental policy on this specific issue. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, though the implementation of age verification there has proven challenging. The open question for Greece is whether its approach to age verification can be implemented smoothly and effectively across its population.