Greece Mandates Digital Gatekeeping for Minors Under Fifteen
A new national law requires major social networks to verify user ages, forcing parents to use state-backed applications to restrict their children's online access starting in 2027.
By Luana Sato ·
Starting next year, parents in Greece will face new administrative responsibilities regarding their children's digital lives. As of January 1, 2027, minors under the age of fifteen will be prohibited from accessing major social media platforms unless their parents actively manage their accounts through specific state-endorsed software. This shift requires households to integrate new digital tools into their daily routines to maintain compliance with the newly enacted legislation.
The Greek parliament has formally approved a bill that bans social media use for children under fifteen. The measure, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as difficult but necessary, takes effect at the beginning of the year. This regulatory framework applies to prominent services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Under the new rules, these platforms are required to implement age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable to ensure they are meeting the statutory requirements.
Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece's minister for digital governance and artificial intelligence, emphasized the urgency of the action during the legislative process. He noted that waiting for a comprehensive European law would have been an easy path to inaction. Papastergiou argued that children are increasingly immersed in the internet and that a responsible government has an obligation to act in the present moment rather than deferring to future continental standards.
Compliance with the new act is enforced through the European Union's Digital Services Act, which dictates the fines for non-compliance. To facilitate the ban, parents must download specific applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These tools are paired directly with the child's device to block unauthorized access. The system relies on 'age tokens,' a technology designed to verify a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed, thereby protecting the child's digital privacy.
The passage of the bill was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the legislation, but the majority government led by Mitsotakis secured its approval. This move follows a 2024 regulation that already restricted the use of mobile phones within Greek schools. Current opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece largely supports the new social media restrictions for young people.
The Greek government views this national law as a catalyst for broader regional change. Mitsotakis has stated that his administration aims to push the European Union in the same direction. The European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act, which seeks to address similar concerns across the bloc. However, the proposed European legislation currently stipulates an outright ban only for children under the age of thirteen, making the Greek standard more restrictive in terms of the age cutoff.
The implementation of this ban places Greece in a distinctive position within the global landscape of digital regulation. Australia was the first country to enact a full social media ban for children, but it has faced significant challenges in effectively implementing age verification systems. Greece’s new law arrives as the first of its kind within the European Union, setting a precedent that other nations may look to as they navigate the complexities of protecting minors in the digital age.
