A ban on children under 15 accessing social media from 1 January 2027 is included in a bill unveiled by the government as part of an initiative to protect minors from the risks of the digital environment.
The measure was presented at a joint press conference by Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou. Under the plan, the platforms themselves will be responsible for verifying users’ ages.
Under the method of calculation to be applied, 1 January of each year will be treated as the date of birth, so that age limits correspond to school year groups. This means that from 1 January 2027, children born in 2013 or later will not be allowed to access social media.
Akis Skertsos announced that the bill will be introduced to the relevant parliamentary committee on Tuesday, 13 October, where a hearing with stakeholders is also planned. The government aims to bring it before the full parliament for a vote on 22 October.
How verification through Kids Wallet will work
A central part of the plan is mandatory age verification using digital tools such as Kids Wallet. Platforms will have to use verification mechanisms when they cannot reliably establish a user’s age.
Kids Wallet will not share a user’s date of birth with platforms, but will send a digital signal confirming whether the user is above or below the specified age limit.
“It does not even provide the date of birth. It only gives a signal, a flag — as it is called in IT terminology — indicating whether this person, this user, is over or under 15”, Dimitris Papastergiou said.
When a platform is unsure of a user’s age, it will be able to display a QR code, which the user can scan using Kids Wallet or Gov.gr Wallet to complete the verification.
From 1 January 2027, platforms will have to lock accounts they know belong to children under 15. When they are unsure of a user’s age, they will have to request confirmation through the relevant digital tool.
“Parents will no longer have to rush to lock their children’s phones using an app; the burden of verification and protection will now fall on the platforms”, the minister stressed.
Platforms will also have to use the data and algorithms at their disposal to estimate users’ ages, turning to verification tools when they cannot do so reliably.
Which platforms will the ban cover?
The measure will initially focus on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. However, the list of services covered by the measure is not final and is expected to evolve in line with developments in Europe.
“This list is not exhaustive. Europe is actively working on it”, Dimitris Papastergiou said.
The government has clarified that the intervention concerns social media, not internet or technology use as a whole. The aim is to limit children’s exposure to harmful content and practices that may encourage excessive use, without cutting them off from digital services essential to their communication, education and everyday lives.
What the penalties will be
The measure will be implemented under the European framework for digital services (Digital Services Act – DSA). Violations will trigger the oversight and penalty mechanisms set out in European law.
The Minister of Digital Governance noted that fines under the DSA can reach up to 6% of a platform’s global turnover.
If a complaint is made about a platform, the prescribed oversight procedure will be triggered. For very large platforms, the process will follow the mechanisms set out in the European regulation, with the involvement of the relevant authorities.
Technical challenges also include the possibility of bypassing restrictions through VPNs, services that can make it appear that a user is connecting from a different country. Dimitris Papastergiou said the government was considering using additional indicators, such as the use of a Greek mobile phone number, the browser language and the IP address, to identify cases requiring further checks.
Akis Skertsos: From individual responsibility to corporate accountability
The Minister of State said the intervention aims to establish rules for technology companies so that protecting children does not depend solely on the decisions of individual families.
He explained that platforms collect data on users’ preferences and behaviour and use algorithms to personalise content. In his view, this creates particular risks for minors, who have not yet fully developed the ability to regulate their own behaviour.
Mr Skertsos described this relationship as a “digital asymmetry” and raised the question of whether technology companies could regulate themselves.
“Is self-regulation by businesses enough for us? Is self-regulation by technology companies enough? The answer is no”, he said.
He also stressed that the initiative is not directed against technology, which continues to play an important role in children’s education, access to information, entertainment and socialisation.
“We are not talking about a ban on the internet or technology in general”, he noted.
The minister also referred to scientific findings and data from European bodies suggesting that at least one in five or one in four children may be at risk of exposure to harmful content, online bullying or social media use that is not appropriate for their age. He clarified, however, that this does not mean every minor who uses social media will develop a digital addiction.
Adonis Georgiadis: Alarming data on excessive use
The Health Minister focused on the effects of social media on children’s mental health, citing research data on teenagers’ use of digital services.
According to the figures he presented, more than half of lower- and upper-secondary pupils began using social media between the ages of 10 and 12, while one in four says they use it excessively. Meanwhile, 23% of 15-year-olds feel nervous or insecure when they cannot access their mobile phone.
“One in four says they use social media excessively, according to data from Eurostat and the OECD”, the minister said, describing the findings as alarming.
In addition, according to the figures he presented, 17% of children aged 11 to 15 have experienced online harassment, while one in five 15-year-olds neglects other activities, such as sport and hobbies, because of social media use.
Mr Georgiadis also said that one in four teenagers had felt distressed because personal information about them had been shared online without their consent. On cyberbullying, he cited figures showing that 17% of children aged 11 to 15 had been victims of cyberbullying in 2021-2022.
The minister noted that digital addiction can affect adults too, but at a young age its effects may be particularly significant for the development of personality and social relationships.
He also announced that a programme to tackle digital addiction had been launched through the National Organisation for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions, using NSRF funds. A telephone helpline, 1145, has also been set up for children, parents and adults seeking help with digital addiction and other dependencies.
The European dimension and next steps
The three ministers presented the legislative initiative as a continuation of measures already taken to protect minors, including a ban on mobile phone use in schools and the development of digital tools to keep children safe.
Akis Skertsos referred to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ interventions at international and European level, beginning with his speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2024, as well as to the Greek government’s initiatives with the European Commission.
Dimitris Papastergiou clarified that the EU Kids Act is not yet European legislation, but a set of guiding principles for protecting children online, which is expected to be further developed in the coming months.
“Even so, building on existing legislation, I believe we can — and must — take measures”, he said, stressing that there was no room for further delay.
The minister said the Greek initiative is based on Article 27 of the Digital Services Act and that consultations with European services had taken place through the TRIS mechanism from May to August. The aim is to implement the age limit in line with the existing European framework until further European rules are drawn up.
ANA-MPA