Greece Passes Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

Greece has become one of the first European Union members to legally restrict children's access to social media. Parliament approved a ban for those under 15, following an announcement earlier this year by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The measure will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Mitsotakis described the bill as "difficult but necessary." It applies to platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, and requires those services to put in place age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable.

Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou defended the decision to move ahead without waiting for EU-wide rules. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law. But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," he said.

Companies that fail to comply will face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. On the family side, parents will need to download state-backed apps called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr, which are paired with a child's device and block access to the restricted services.

According to Papastergiou, the apps are built to protect privacy and limit the amount of data collected. They rely on "age tokens" that can confirm a person's age while disclosing as little personal information as possible.

Greece's minority parties opposed the legislation, so Mitsotakis relied on his government's majority to pass it. The country already prohibited mobile phones in schools in 2024, and opinion polls indicate the new restriction on children's social media use enjoys broad support among Greek adults.

Mitsotakis has said his government's "goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well." The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act with a similar aim, though that law calls for an outright ban only for children under 13.

Elsewhere, Australia was the first country to enact a full social media ban for children. Implementing age verification there has proved challenging, a difficulty that Greece's approach with its state-backed apps will now have to address.