Greece Enacts Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Greece has officially passed a sweeping social media ban for children under 15 following an initiative first announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier this year.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
New Legislation and Timeline
Greece's parliament has successfully passed a social media ban for kids under 15 after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first announced the measure earlier this year. The legislation, which Prime Minister Mitsotakis described as a difficult but necessary step, places Greece among the pioneering nations in the European Union to implement such a restriction. The official law is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2027.
Covered Platforms and Requirements
The newly passed law encompasses major digital services and social platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Under the regulations, these platforms are required to implement proportionate and reliable age-verification methods to prevent underage usage. Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou addressed the government's proactive stance, noting that waiting for broader European legislation was not a viable option while children are continually immersed in the internet.
Enforcement and Parental Controls
To enforce the restrictions effectively, parents will be required to download state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These tools are designed to pair directly with a child's device to block access to restricted services. According to Dimitris Papastergiou, the applications are explicitly built to protect user privacy and minimize data collection by utilizing age tokens that confirm an individual's age without exposing unnecessary personal data. Failure by platforms to comply with the act will result in penalties enforced under the European Union's Digital Services Act.
Political Context and Public Opinion
Because the legislation faced opposition from minority parties in Greece, Prime Minister Mitsotakis utilized his majority government to ensure the bill passed. This action follows a previous initiative in 2024 that banned mobile phones in schools across the nation. Recent opinion polls show that the new social media restrictions for children enjoy widespread support among the adult population in Greece.
Broader European and Global Trends
Prime Minister Mitsotakis has previously expressed that his administration's goal is to push the European Union in the same direction. In alignment with these broader policy objectives, the European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act to curb youth access, though that specific framework stipulates an outright ban exclusively for children under 13. Globally, nations are grappling with the logistics of youth digital safety, as seen in Australia, which became the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, although enforcement and age verification have proven challenging to implement.
Sources
- EngadgetGreece enacts social media ban for kids under 15
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