Athens Locks Out Teens From Social Apps

Greece has officially cemented its status as a regional pioneer in digital regulation. The nation's parliament has passed a comprehensive social media ban for children under the age of 15. The legislation is now law and is scheduled to take full effect on January 1, 2027. This move marks one of the earliest national implementations of such strictures within the European Union. It follows Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who first signaled the administration's intent to act earlier this year. He described the measure as difficult but necessary for the country's future.

The new rules apply to major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services will be required to implement proportionate and reliable age verification methods. The goal is to ensure that minors below the threshold cannot access these digital spaces without proper checks. This approach shifts the burden of verification onto the platforms themselves. It represents a significant change in how these companies interact with younger users in the Greek market.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, defended the timing of the law. He argued that waiting for a perfect European standard was no longer an option. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law," he stated. He added that the challenge is immediate, noting that children are sinking into the internet every day. He believed a responsible government must act on its obligations to protect its youth.

Compliance with the new act will be enforced through fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. Non-compliant platforms face financial penalties that could impact their operational costs in the region. The system also introduces a unique mechanism for parental control. Parents will be required to download state-backed applications called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps pair with the child's device to block access if the user is under the legal age limit.

The government claims these tools are designed with privacy as a primary concern. Papastergiou explained that the apps use age tokens to verify a user's age. This method aims to confirm eligibility while minimizing the disclosure of personal data. The approach seeks to avoid the creation of large databases of minor information. It attempts to balance strict access control with modern privacy standards.

The path to passage was not without political friction. Minority parties in the Greek parliament opposed the legislation. However, the ruling majority secured the votes needed to push the bill through. This follows a previous move by the government to ban mobile phones in schools in 2024. Opinion polls indicate that the adult population in Greece largely supports the new social media restrictions for children.

Mitsotakis has stated that the government hopes to influence the broader EU landscape. He said the goal is to push the European Union in the same direction. The European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act to address similar concerns. However, that proposed law stipulates an outright ban only for children under 13. Greece's threshold is therefore two years higher than the current EU proposal.

The implementation of age verification remains a complex technical challenge for the industry. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for kids. That country has found the age verification process to be difficult to execute effectively. Greece will now be watching closely to see how the Greek system navigates these same hurdles. The next few months will be critical for testing the new infrastructure before the 2027 deadline.