Greece Mandates Age Verification for Major Social Platforms

Greece has officially enacted a comprehensive ban on social media access for children under the age of 15, marking a significant regulatory shift for the technology sector within the European Union. The legislation was passed by the Greek parliament and is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. This move places Greece among the first European nations to implement such a strict age-based restriction, signaling a potential change in how global digital platforms manage their youngest users in the region.

The new law applies to major social networking services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Under the regulation, these companies are required to implement age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable. This requirement shifts the operational burden to the platforms, which must now develop or integrate systems capable of accurately distinguishing between adult and minor users without excessive data collection.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister of digital governance and artificial intelligence, defended the measure as a necessary step for a responsible government. He noted that waiting for a perfect European law was not an option given the current trends in digital behavior. Papastergiou stated that children are sinking into the internet every day, emphasizing the urgency of the national response. He described the bill as difficult but necessary, a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis when he first announced the initiative earlier this year.

Compliance with the new act will be enforced through the framework of the EU's Digital Services Act, which means that non-compliant platforms face potential fines. To assist households, the legislation mandates that parents download state-backed applications such as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with the child's device to block access to social media services, creating a direct technical link between the government's infrastructure and private family devices.

The state-backed applications are designed with privacy as a core feature. According to Papastergiou, the apps utilize age tokens to confirm a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed. This approach aims to balance the need for accurate verification with the growing public concern over digital surveillance and data retention by both private companies and public authorities.

The legislative process was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the bill, leading Prime Minister Mitsotakis to rely on his majority to push the measure through. Despite the opposition, opinion polls indicate that the ban enjoys widespread support among the adult population in Greece. This public backing provides the government with a strong mandate as it moves to enforce the new rules starting next year.

This national policy builds on previous educational measures, including a 2024 ban on mobile phones in Greek schools. The government views the social media ban as the next logical step in managing the digital footprint of young citizens. Mitsotakis has indicated that the primary goal of the national law is to push the European Union in the same direction, hoping that Greece's experience will inform broader continental standards.

At the European level, the European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act. However, this proposed legislation stipulates an outright ban only for children under the age of 13, which is a lower threshold than Greece's new standard. The gap between the national and European proposals highlights a divergence in how different jurisdictions approach the balance between digital access and child safety.

Globally, Australia remains the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids. However, the implementation of age verification in Australia has proven challenging, offering a cautionary example for Greece. As the Greek law takes effect in January 2027, observers will closely watch how the country navigates the technical and logistical hurdles of large-scale age verification, potentially setting a precedent for other markets.

For technology companies operating in the region, the Greek mandate represents a new layer of compliance complexity. The requirement for reliable age verification combined with state-backed parental control apps suggests a hybrid model of regulation. This model blends private sector technical solutions with public sector oversight, a structure that may influence future regulatory frameworks in other parts of Europe and beyond.