Greece to block social media for under-15s from January 1, 2027, with platforms to verify users’ ages

Access to social media for children under 15 is expected to be banned in Greece starting January 1, 2027. Athens has decided to draft a national law without waiting for the European Union’s regulatory process to be completed.

Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou announced that the Greek government would move forward with its initiative while European rules are still being developed. In an interview with the state-run AMNA news agency, he said procedures at the European level could take around 20 months.

According to Papastergiou, such a wait would mean that another generation of children would remain without the intended protection. The bill was initially expected to be presented in August, but it was postponed because Athens was waiting for more details from the EU initiative. Once the European framework is approved, Greek legislation could be aligned with it.

Online platforms will be responsible for verifying users’ ages. They will have to determine whether users are above or below the specified age limit. In cases where age cannot be clearly verified, the Kids Wallet application could be used.

The minister explained that the application would transmit only confirmation that the user had passed the permitted age threshold. Dates of birth and other identifying information would not be sent to companies, with the aim of protecting children’s privacy.

The European proposal also provides for limited use of services for the 13-to-15 age group. These users would not have personal accounts, would face overnight blocking, would be allowed to spend up to one hour a day on the services, and would not have access to an endless feed of content.

In addition to legal measures, the Greek government plans to conduct information campaigns in schools involving teachers and parents. Papastergiou stressed that the law would not be sufficient if families did not change the way phones are used.