Greece Locks Out Children Under 15 From Major Social Networks

Greece has officially implemented a ban on social media use for children under the age of fifteen. The legislation is now law and will take full effect on January 1, 2027. This move marks a significant shift in how the country regulates digital access for its youngest users. It stands as one of the first such measures within the European Union.

The new rules apply to major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services must now implement age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable. The goal is to ensure that minors cannot easily create accounts without proper age confirmation. Non-compliance will result in fines under the existing EU Digital Services Act.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the measure earlier this year. He described the bill as difficult but necessary. The government used its majority in parliament to push the legislation through. Minority parties opposed the move, but the bill still secured passage. This follows a 2024 decision to bar mobile phones in schools.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, defended the timing of the law. He stated that doing nothing would have been easy, but the challenge is immediate. Papastergiou noted that children are sinking into the internet daily. He believes a responsible government must act now rather than wait for a perfect European law.

Parents will play a direct role in enforcement. They must download state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps pair with a child’s device to block access to social media. The government designed these tools to protect privacy. They use age tokens to verify age while minimizing the amount of personal data collected.

Public support for the ban appears strong. Opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece widely backs the restriction. This sentiment builds on the earlier school phone ban. The government sees this as a necessary step to manage digital exposure for young people.

Mitsotakis has said the goal is to push the European Union in the same direction. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act. However, that proposed law only stipulates an outright ban for children under thirteen. Greece’s threshold of fifteen is therefore more restrictive than the current EU proposal.

Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids. Its experience has shown that age verification can be challenging to implement. Greece is now facing similar technical hurdles. The country aims to refine these methods before the January 2027 deadline.

The stakes are high for both platforms and families. Social media companies must update their systems to meet the new requirements. Parents need to install specific apps on their children's devices. The law signals a broader trend of government intervention in digital life. It sets a precedent for other nations considering similar restrictions.

This development highlights the growing tension between digital access and child protection. As the deadline approaches, all stakeholders will need to prepare. The success of the ban will depend on effective verification and parental engagement. Greece is now at the forefront of this regulatory shift.