Greece Sets the Date: January 1, 2027, Marks the End of Social Media for Under-15s

Starting on January 1, 2027, children in Greece under the age of 15 will no longer have unrestricted access to major social media platforms. This specific date marks the official start of a new legal era for digital parenting in the country, following the recent parliamentary approval of the measure. It is a significant milestone, as this becomes one of the first national-level bans of its kind within the European Union.

The path to this legislation began earlier this year when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the government’s intention to regulate young people’s online presence. He described the bill as a challenging but necessary step. After months of debate, the bill was put to a vote in the Hellenic Parliament, where it passed despite opposition from minority parties. Mitsotakis relied on his government’s majority to push the legislation through, signaling a strong political commitment to the cause.

Greece is not new to regulating technology in youth spaces. As recently as 2024, the nation implemented a ban on mobile phones in schools. This new social media restriction builds on that precedent, and opinion polls suggest that the adult population largely supports the move. The government aims to use this domestic action as a catalyst to influence broader European policy, with Mitsotakis stating that the goal is to push the EU in the same direction.

The law applies to prominent platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services are now mandated to implement age-verification methods that are both reliable and proportionate. To ensure compliance, the legislation ties penalties to the existing EU Digital Services Act, meaning that platforms that fail to meet the new standards could face financial fines.

For families, the practical impact will be felt through specific software solutions. Parents will be required to download state-backed applications, identified as Kids Wallet or Gov.gr, and pair them with their children’s devices. These apps are designed to block access to the specified social media services for users under the age threshold. The system aims to balance protection with privacy, utilizing what officials call 'age tokens' to verify a user's age without collecting excessive personal data.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, emphasized the urgency of the situation. He noted that it would have been simpler to wait for a perfect European-wide law, but he argued that the current challenges required immediate action. Papastergiou stated that children are increasingly immersed in the internet daily and that a responsible government is obligated to act accordingly.

This national law arrives as the European Commission is also working on its own framework, the EU Kids Act. However, the European proposal currently stipulates an outright ban only for children under the age of 13, making Greece's under-15 threshold more restrictive. The timing is notable given the experience of Australia, the first country to enact a full social media ban for children. Australia’s implementation has revealed that verifying a user's age can be technically and logistically difficult, a challenge Greek officials acknowledge as they prepare for the 2027 rollout.

Looking ahead, the next year will be a critical period for implementation. Platform providers will need to finalize their verification systems, and the state will need to ensure the Kids Wallet and Gov.gr apps are ready for widespread use. As the 2027 deadline approaches, the success of this initiative will likely serve as a key case study for other nations and the EU as they navigate the complex intersection of child safety and digital privacy.