The new legislation will take effect on January 1, 2027.
The Greek parliament has officially implemented a ban on social media use for individuals under 15 years old. This decision follows Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ earlier announcement regarding the initiative. Dubbed “difficult but necessary” by Mitsotakis, this legislation represents one of the pioneering moves within the European Union, set to come into force on January 1, 2027. The regulation affects popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, requiring them to adopt effective age-verification processes.
“It would have been very easy to postpone action and wait for ideal European legislation. However, the issue is pressing. Children are increasingly immersed in the digital world, and I firmly believe that a responsible government must fulfill its duties,” stated Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece’s Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence.
Non-compliance with this new law will result in penalties enforced under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Additionally, parents will be required to install state-supported applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr on their children’s devices to restrict social media access. Papastergiou noted that these apps aim to safeguard privacy and limit data collection by using “age tokens” which verify age while protecting personal information.
Despite opposition from minority parties, Mitsotakis leveraged his parliamentary majority to pass the bill. This follows Greece’s previous decision to prohibit mobile phone usage in schools in 2024. Public sentiment appears to favor this new social media restriction, with many adults supporting the measure.
Mitsotakis has expressed his intention for Greece to lead by example within the European Union in this regard. The European Commission has introduced the EU Kids Act, which similarly seeks to regulate this issue, although it only proposes a ban for children under 13. Australia holds the distinction of being the first country to enforce a complete social media ban for minors, yet implementing effective age verification has proven challenging.
