Starting Next Year, Greek Children Under 15 Will Be Blocked From Major Social Media Sites

For families living in Greece, the way children access the internet will change significantly when the new year arrives. Starting on January 1, 2027, a newly enacted law will prevent children under the age of 15 from using popular social media platforms without specific safeguards. This shift means that access to sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X will no longer be open to all young users. Instead, these services will be required to implement reliable methods to verify the age of their users. The goal is to create a digital environment where young people are better protected before they reach the threshold of full digital independence.

The legislation represents a major step for the European Union, making Greece one of the first countries in the bloc to impose such a restriction. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who first proposed the measure earlier this year, described the bill as difficult but necessary. The law takes effect at the start of 2027, giving platforms and families a few months to adjust to the new requirements. This timing allows for the integration of new verification systems without an abrupt cutoff. It signals a growing trend among nations to take a more active role in regulating how minors interact with digital spaces.

The core of the law mandates that social media companies apply proportionate and reliable age-verification methods. This is not a simple username check. Platforms must ensure that the age verification process is both accurate and fair. If a service fails to comply with these standards, it faces fines under the existing EU Digital Services Act. This financial penalty provides a strong incentive for tech companies to invest in better age-checking technologies. The burden of proof shifts to the platforms to demonstrate that they are meeting these new legal obligations.

Parents will also play a direct role in enforcing this ban. The state will provide specific applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr that must be downloaded and paired with a child's device. These apps are designed to block access to social media for those under 15. The system is intended to be privacy-focused. According to Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, these tools use age tokens. These tokens allow the system to confirm a child's age while minimizing the amount of personal data that is disclosed or collected.

Minister Papastergiou argued that action was required now rather than waiting for broader European legislation. He noted that it would have been easy to do nothing and wait for a perfect EU law. However, he stated that the challenge is immediate because children are sinking into the internet every day. He believes a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do. This perspective frames the ban as a proactive measure to address current trends in youth digital behavior.

The path to passing the bill was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the legislation. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Mitsotakis used his majority government to push the bill through. This decision aligns with previous moves by the nation to regulate technology in young lives. In 2024, Greece already barred the use of mobile phones in schools. The new social media ban extends that regulatory reach into the home and beyond.

Public opinion appears to be on the side of the government. Opinion polls indicate that the new social media ban for children is widely supported by the adult population in Greece. This broad approval suggests that many parents feel the current state of social media is overwhelming for their children. The law reflects a collective desire to manage the pace at which young people engage with complex online platforms. It positions the state as a guardian of digital health for the younger generation.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis has stated that the goal is to push the rest of the European Union in this direction. The European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act to address similar concerns. However, that proposed law only stipulates an outright ban for children under 13. Greece's ban for those under 15 is therefore more restrictive. This divergence highlights the varying approaches different nations are taking to solve the same problem. It may set a precedent for other EU countries to consider raising the age limit.

Internationally, Greece follows in the footsteps of Australia, which was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids. However, Australia has found that age verification is a challenging task to implement. Greece is now navigating the same technical hurdles. The success of the Greek law will depend on how effectively these age tokens and verification methods work in practice. As the clock ticks down to January 1, 2027, the focus will be on whether this system can protect children without creating too much friction for families.

The stakes are high for both parents and tech companies. If the system works, it could serve as a model for other nations looking to balance digital access with youth safety. If it fails, it may lead to calls for stricter international regulations. For now, Greek families have a clear timeline to prepare for the changes. The era of unrestricted social media access for under-15s in Greece is coming to an end.