Greek kids under 15 lose social media access starting next year

Starting January 1, 2027, millions of Greek children under the age of 15 will no longer be able to use major social media platforms. This change means that if your child is 14 or younger, they will be blocked from sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X unless they meet specific legal requirements. The ban is part of a new law that aims to protect young users from the online world. It represents a significant shift in how digital access is managed for minors in the country.

The first major change is how platforms will verify age. Social media services must now use reliable and proportionate methods to confirm a user’s age. If a company fails to follow these rules, it faces fines under the European Union’s Digital Services Act. This puts the burden on tech companies to ensure that under-15s are not accessing their sites without proper checks. It moves the responsibility away from parents and onto the service providers.

The second key point involves the role of parents in this new system. Families will need to download specific state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with the child’s device to block access to the banned platforms. The goal is to create a secure digital environment for younger children. Parents will have direct tools to manage and monitor their child's online presence through these official applications.

The third aspect of the law focuses on privacy and data collection. The state apps use what are called age tokens. These tokens allow the system to confirm a user’s age while minimizing the amount of personal data shared. This approach is designed to protect children's privacy. It ensures that verifying age does not mean handing over a full dossier of personal information to the platforms.

The law was passed after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the measure earlier this year. He described the bill as difficult but necessary for the country. The legislation faced opposition from minority parties in parliament. However, the government’s majority allowed the bill to move forward without delay. This shows a strong political commitment to implementing the ban before the new year begins.

Context for this move includes Greece’s previous steps in regulating technology. In 2024, the nation already barred mobile phones in schools. This new social media ban builds on that earlier decision. Opinion polls indicate that a large portion of the adult population in Greece supports the new restrictions. The public seems to agree that action is needed to protect children from excessive internet use.

The government hopes this move will influence the rest of Europe. Mitsotakis has stated that the goal is to push the EU in this direction. The European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act. However, that proposed law only bans social media for children under 13. Greece is setting a higher age limit at 15. This puts the country ahead of potential broader European regulations.

Other nations have already tried similar measures. Australia was the first country to enact a full social media ban for children. However, implementing age verification there has proven to be a challenge. Greece is now among the first in the EU to impose such a strict rule. The next few months will show how effectively the new apps and verification methods work in practice. Families across the region will be watching to see if this model becomes the standard.