Greece is preparing to introduce one of Europe's most explicit legal barriers between children and social media. Under a bill presented on Monday, anyone under the age of 15 will be barred from accessing platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, with the restriction set to take effect on 1 January 2027.
The legislation, introduced by Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, and Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, aims to shield minors from the well-documented risks of social media—anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, and impaired concentration—while also protecting user privacy. The bill will be debated in parliamentary committees on 13 October, with a plenary vote scheduled for 22 October.
Age verification without sacrificing privacy
The core of the reform is a hard age limit of 15, but the mechanism for enforcing it is designed to avoid invasive data collection. Platforms will be required to implement age-verification methods that are “appropriate, proportionate, and reliable,” according to the government. The preferred tool is a digital “age token” that confirms whether a user meets the threshold without revealing their full identity or other sensitive personal data.
Greece's existing Gov.gr Wallet and the forthcoming Kids Wallet will serve as the primary verification instruments. These systems allow a platform to receive a simple yes/no confirmation about a user's age, rather than accessing birth dates, names, or other identifying details. Companies may also propose alternative technical solutions, provided they comply with European law and are robust enough to resist circumvention.
“The goal is to ensure effective enforcement without imposing a single technology across all services,” said Papastergiou, emphasising that the approach is designed to minimise data exposure.
A European framework, not a Greek island
The initiative is not happening in a vacuum. It is explicitly anchored in the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), particularly Article 28, which obliges online platforms to protect minors. Supervision will therefore not be purely national: the Greek authorities will cooperate with their counterparts in other member states and with the European Commission through the DSA's cross-border mechanism.
In Greece, the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) will act as the Digital Services Coordinator, with the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) sharing oversight responsibilities. If a complaint concerns a platform based in another EU country, the case will be forwarded to that country's competent authority.
Skertsos framed the move as part of a broader European response. “Parents need real support against algorithms designed to keep children constantly connected,” he said, adding that technology must be regulated with the health and development of minors in mind.
The two-year runway before implementation is intended to give platforms time to adapt their systems. It also aligns with similar debates across the continent—from France's experiments with digital age checks to Germany's discussions on screen time—though Greece's approach is among the most concrete in setting a single, enforceable age threshold.
Critics may question whether age tokens can be fooled or whether platforms will comply willingly, but the Greek government is betting that a clear legal obligation, backed by EU-wide cooperation, will make a difference. As the digital world becomes ever more embedded in childhood, Athens is choosing to draw a line in the sand—and inviting the rest of Europe to follow.
