Greece bans social media for teens under 15 starting next year

Greece will block social media access for all children under the age of 15 starting January 1, 2027. The measure, which was officially enacted by the Greek parliament this week, marks a significant shift in digital policy within the European Union. While other nations have debated similar restrictions, this law is among the first to be formally adopted in the EU, setting a precedent for how member states might regulate online platforms for minors in the coming years.

The legislation targets major social networking services, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. To enforce the ban, these platforms are mandated to implement proportionate and reliable age-verification methods. This requirement moves beyond simple self-declaration of age, demanding that tech companies use more robust tools to ensure that users below the threshold are indeed prevented from accessing the services without parental oversight.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who first announced the initiative earlier this year, described the bill as "difficult but necessary." He argued that waiting for a perfect European-level law was not an option given the current state of digital consumption among youth. Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and artificial intelligence, echoed this sentiment, noting that children are increasingly immersed in the internet. He stated that a responsible government must act now rather than waiting for ideal conditions, emphasizing the urgency of protecting young users.

For parents, the new law introduces specific tools to assist in compliance. Families are required to download state-backed applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with a child's device to effectively block access to social media platforms. Papastergiou explained that these applications are designed with privacy in mind, utilizing "age tokens" to confirm a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed to the platforms.

Compliance with the new act will be enforced through the existing framework of the EU's Digital Services Act. Platforms that fail to meet the new age-verification standards face the potential for significant fines. This financial pressure is expected to drive major tech companies to accelerate their development of privacy-friendly verification technologies, a challenge that has already proven difficult for other countries.

The path to passing the bill was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the legislation, leading Prime Minister Mitsotakis to rely on his majority to push the bill through. Despite the political opposition, public opinion appears to favor the change, with recent opinion polls indicating widespread support among the adult population for restricting social media use for young children.

Greece’s move follows its 2024 decision to ban mobile phones in schools, suggesting a broader national strategy to limit digital distraction for minors. The government aims to use this national law as a catalyst for broader European action. Mitsotakis has stated that the goal is to push the EU in the same direction, a sentiment aligned with the recently introduced EU Kids Act, which proposes an outright ban for children under the age of 13.

As Greece prepares to implement the ban in early 2027, it joins the ranks of nations like Australia, which was the first to enact a full social media ban for kids. However, Greece’s approach may face similar implementation hurdles, particularly regarding the reliability of age verification. The success of the Greek law will likely be watched closely by other EU nations as they navigate their own regulatory frameworks.