Greece Moves to Restrict Social Media for Minors

Regulatory pressure on social media companies continues to mount in Europe as Greece moves to bar minors under 15 from accessing major platforms. The nation's parliament has finalized legislation mandating that services like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X implement reliable age-verification measures to prevent unauthorized access by younger users. The law, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis previously labeled "difficult but necessary," is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Enforcement will rely on the European Union's Digital Services Act, which carries financial penalties for non-compliance. To facilitate the restrictions, the state is deploying applications called Kids Wallet and Gov.gr, which pair with a child's device to block unauthorized access. Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou stated that these apps are engineered to protect privacy by minimizing data collection through the use of "age tokens." Such tokens verify a user's age without disclosing personal details, addressing concerns regarding the collection of minors' information.

The bill passed despite opposition from minority parties, with the majority government utilizing its legislative control to approve the measure. Public opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece broadly supports the new restrictions on children's social media usage. The country has previously addressed digital consumption in schools, having banned mobile phones within classrooms in 2024. "Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," Papastergiou said regarding the immediate need for action.

Greece's legislative approach aligns with a broader trend toward digital regulation, though specific age thresholds vary by jurisdiction. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act, though that framework establishes an outright ban only for those under 13. While Greece is among the first EU nations to enforce such a ban for the under-15 demographic, other countries are navigating similar policy challenges. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, but age verification has proved challenging to implement.