A minimum age of 15 for access to social media is provided for in the bill passed by the plenary of the Hellenic Parliament, with the relevant provisions scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027.
The measure concerns access by under-15s to social networking services within its scope. It forms part of efforts to protect children from the risks of the digital environment.
A key issue is how to verify that users meet the required age threshold without collecting more personal data than necessary. The bill does not require the use of a specific app, but provides for the use of appropriate, reliable and proportionate age-verification solutions.
What changes from 1 January 2027
Once the measure takes effect, the minimum age for accessing social media will be 15. Specifically, it provides for the following:
Age limit of 15: Minors below this age will not be able to access the social networking services covered by the measure.
Age checks by platforms: Providers will have to use appropriate mechanisms to check whether users meet the age threshold.
Personal data protection: Verification methods will have to limit data collection and safeguard users’ privacy.
No requirement to use a specific app: The Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet are cited as suitable options, while other equivalent solutions that meet the requirements of the European framework are also permitted.
According to the information available, a specific rule for calculating age based on the calendar year of birth is envisaged for applying the threshold. The details should be considered in light of the final legislative text.
How age checks on social media will work
The measure requires the platforms themselves to have mechanisms in place to verify their users’ ages.
Providers will have to use solutions that are effective and reliable, while remaining proportionate to the data required for the check. The aim is to establish whether a user is above or below the stipulated age threshold without requiring them to disclose more personal information.
The compliance obligation rests with the platforms and is not limited to parental responsibility. Family supervision remains important, but does not replace providers’ obligations.
The practical details of how checks will be carried out on each service, and how cases of incorrect age assessment will be handled, will depend on the applicable provisions and the technical solutions adopted.
Is the Kids Wallet mandatory?
The Greek measure does not require the exclusive use of the Kids Wallet or the Gov.gr Wallet to verify age.
The two apps are presented as suitable examples because they can be used to confirm age-related information in a way intended to limit the transfer of personal data.
Under the approach outlined by the government, verification can be limited to confirming whether a user is above or below the age threshold, without necessarily disclosing their exact date of birth.
Other equivalent technological solutions may also be used, provided they comply with the requirements of national legislation and EU law.
The key point, therefore, is not the mandatory use of a specific app, but reliable age verification that respects privacy.
What the EU Kids Act proposal provides for
The Greek measure focuses on social media. The European proposal known as the EU Kids Act, by contrast, has a broader scope and aims to establish a more comprehensive framework for protecting minors in the digital environment.
Its scope includes, among other things:
- Video-sharing platforms.
- Online games.
- App stores.
- Artificial intelligence services that operate as digital conversational agents or AI companions.
- General-purpose conversational AI assistants.
The European approach sets out different requirements depending on the type of service and the risks it may pose to minors.
An important distinction is that the EU Kids Act is a European proposal, not an EU regulation already in force. The final form of the rules and their relationship with national measures will be determined through the European legislative process.
What is proposed for children aged 13 to 15
According to the description of the European proposal, a special, restricted account could be created for children aged 13 to under 15, provided the platform offers that type of account and a parent or guardian creates it.
This account would not have the same features as a full social media account. The proposal includes provisions for parental tools, checks on new contacts and the option to set a daily usage limit of up to one hour.
For children under 13, the proposal does not provide for a social media account in the child’s name.
These provisions relate to the European proposal and should not be confused with the requirements of the Greek measure, which sets 15 as the key age threshold.
Who will be responsible for enforcing the rules
Responsibility for enforcing the age restrictions lies primarily with the providers of services covered by the legislation.
Platforms will have to put appropriate age-verification mechanisms in place and comply with the obligations that apply to their services. The European proposal also includes additional obligations for very large platforms, including provisions for compliance plans and independent audits.
Parents continue to have an important role in supervising their children’s use of the internet. However, parental supervision is complementary and does not replace providers’ obligations.
What parents and minors need to know
The main change is that a minimum age of 15 for access to social media is due to take effect in Greece on 1 January 2027.
How the measure works in practice will depend on the age-verification mechanisms used by platforms, the technical solutions available and the specific provisions of the final legislative framework.
At the same time, the European initiative is moving towards a broader set of rules to protect children online, extending beyond social media to other digital services.
The challenge in the period ahead will be how to implement the new threshold in practice, how to check users’ ages and how to ensure that protecting minors goes hand in hand with respecting their personal data.
Source: ERT News