Greece sets January 2027 deadline for mandatory under-15 social media block

Greece has enacted a legal framework to restrict social media use for children under the age of 15, positioning the nation as an early mover in the European Union. The measure, which received parliamentary approval this week, will become active on January 1, 2027. This legislative step follows a prior announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier in the year.

The law mandates that major digital platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, implement reliable and proportionate age verification methods. To enforce compliance on the household level, parents must download state-backed applications named Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These tools pair with a child’s device to block access to the designated services. Companies that fail to meet the new standards risk fines under the EU's Digital Services Act.

Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou defended the rapid timeline, arguing that waiting for comprehensive European legislation would have allowed the problem to grow. He stated that children are increasingly immersed in the internet daily, requiring immediate governmental action. Papastergiou emphasized that the new apps utilize age tokens to verify user identity while minimizing the collection of personal data.

Mitsotakis characterized the bill as difficult but necessary. His administration passed the measure using its parliamentary majority after minority parties voiced opposition. Public sentiment appears to favor the change, with recent opinion polls indicating broad support among Greek adults. This follows a 2024 national decision to prohibit mobile phones in schools.

The new national law differs from the European Commission's proposed EU Kids Act, which targets an outright ban only for children under 13. Mitsotakis has expressed a desire to influence EU policy toward stricter standards. Greece's approach now serves as a practical test for the state-app model, a method that Australia has found challenging to implement in its own social media restrictions.