Athens Mandates State Apps: Greek Parents Must Block Under-15s From Social Media

Greece will begin barring children under 15 from major social media platforms on January 1, 2027. Parliament recently approved the measure, making the country one of the first in the European Union to legally restrict access for that age group. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had signaled this move earlier in the year, and the law now sets a concrete deadline for compliance.

The new rules apply to services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These companies must implement age-verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable. If a platform fails to meet these standards, it faces fines under the EU’s Digital Services Act. On the household side, parents are required to download state-backed applications named Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps pair with a child’s device to block access to the restricted services.

Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou defended the decision to act without waiting for a unified European law. He stated, "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." Mitsotakis called the bill "difficult but necessary."

The government emphasizes that the new apps are designed to protect user privacy. Papastergiou noted that the tools use "age tokens" to confirm a person's age while disclosing as little personal information as possible. This approach aims to limit data collection compared to other verification methods.

Greece’s minority parties opposed the legislation, forcing the government to rely on its parliamentary majority to pass the bill. The country has previously taken steps to limit digital access, including a 2024 ban on mobile phones in schools. Opinion polls indicate that a large majority of Greek adults support the new restriction on children's social media use.

Mitsotakis said his government hopes to push the European Union in the same direction. The European Commission recently introduced the EU Kids Act, which aims for similar goals but proposes an outright ban only for children under 13. Australia was the first nation to enact a full social media ban for children, though it has faced challenges in implementing age verification. Greece’s reliance on state-backed apps represents a different technical path to the same regulatory end.

The law takes effect on January 1, 2027. Parents will need to download the required apps and pair them with their children’s devices before that date to ensure compliance with the new restrictions.