Greece Locks Under-15s Out of Social Media

The Greek government is preparing to shut the door on social media for its younger citizens, a move that sets a strict precedent regarding how the digital world interacts with minors. On Thursday, Greece's parliament passed legislation that will bar anyone under the age of 15 from using popular platforms. The bill, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as "difficult but necessary," establishes some of the most rigorous age-gating requirements seen in the European Union to date.

The new rules target major services such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Under the law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2027, these platforms are mandated to employ proportionate and reliable methods for verifying the age of their user base. The push for this legislation comes directly from the top, with Mitsotakis announcing the measure earlier this year. The government argues that the issue is too pressing to ignore while waiting for a unified European solution.

Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece's digital governance and AI minister, emphasized the urgency of acting now. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law," Papastergiou stated. "But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obligated to do."

Enforcement of the act will rely on specific tools provided to families. Parents are required to download state-backed applications such as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr, which must be paired with their child's device to block access to restricted sites. Papastergiou explained that these apps are designed to protect privacy by using "age tokens" to confirm a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data collected in the process. Companies that fail to comply with the act will face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act.

While the measure was opposed by minority parties, the ruling government used its parliamentary majority to push the bill through. This legislative step follows a 2024 initiative that banned mobile phones in schools, continuing a trend of restricting device access for minors. Polling indicates that this specific ban on social media for children enjoys widespread support among Greece's adult population.

The timing of Greece's law places it at the center of a growing debate regarding digital safety for minors. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act, but that framework only stipulates an outright ban for children under the age of 13. Meanwhile, Australia remains the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, though officials there have found the age verification process challenging to implement effectively.