Greece Votes to Keep Young Kids Off Social Media
The country's parliament has approved a measure that will block children under 15 from accessing major social platforms starting next year.
By Jacob Leary ·
Greece's lawmakers have given final approval to legislation that will bar children under 15 from using popular social media platforms. The bill, which was advanced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. This action follows an earlier announcement of the plan from earlier this year and establishes one of the first regulations of its kind within the European Union.
The law targets services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. It requires these providers to employ reliable methods for verifying the ages of their users. Prime Minister Mitsotakis characterized the legislation as "difficult but necessary." Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, addressed the decision by saying, "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law. But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do."
To assist with compliance, parents will be required to use state-backed applications known as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These programs, which are paired with a child's device, are designed to block access to restricted platforms. Papastergiou explained that the apps are built to protect user privacy by using "age tokens" that can confirm a person's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed.
The legislation passed with the support of the ruling majority, though it was opposed by the nation's minority parties. This move comes after the country previously prohibited mobile phones in schools in 2024. According to opinion polls, the public in Greece broadly supports the new restrictions on social media use for children.
The prime minister has previously stated that his government's "goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well." The European Commission has introduced a measure known as the EU Kids Act with a similar aim; however, that law only mandates a ban for children under 13. While Australia was the first country to put a full social media ban into effect, implementing the necessary age verification there has presented difficulties.
Source: Engadget
