Greece Moves to Block Under-15s From Major Social Platforms in 2027
A new law requires robust age checks on services like TikTok and Instagram for minors, though enforcement details and broader EU policy remain unsettled.
By Julia Novak ·
Greece is preparing to lock younger teens out of major social networks.
The country's parliament has approved legislation barring children under 15 from platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. The measure is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who first announced the proposal earlier this year, described the bill as "difficult but necessary." It is among the first restrictions of its kind in the European Union. The law requires such services to apply "proportionate and reliable" methods for verifying a user's age.
The push to restrict minors online has been under discussion for some time. Greece has already barred mobile phones in schools, a step taken in 2024. Opinion polls indicate that the adult population widely supports the new social media ban. Greece's minority parties, however, opposed the bill, so the majority government moved it through parliament without their backing.
Officials have framed the measure as a response to a problem they say is growing. "Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," said Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece's digital governance and AI minister. He argued that the challenge required immediate action rather than waiting for a broader European standard. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law," he said.
Enforcement would rely on a combination of platform compliance and parental involvement. Platforms that fail to comply face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. Parents would need to download state-backed apps called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr, which pair with a child's device to block access. Papastergiou said these apps protect privacy by using "age tokens" to confirm age while minimizing the disclosure of personal data.
The legislation also sits within a wider debate over how far such rules should go. Mitsotakis has said his government's "goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well." The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act, but that law would mandate an outright ban only for children under 13. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids, though age verification has proved difficult to implement there.
The law's next steps are now tied to a date on the calendar. The provisions take effect on January 1, 2027, and how the age checks are carried out will determine whether the ban holds in practice. Questions about verification methods, enforcement and the scope of any broader European rule are still open as the timeline approaches.
