Following the passage of a law setting a minimum age of 15 for access to social media, the government has begun a series of meetings with major social media platforms. The aim is for the platforms to design and present reliable age-verification mechanisms, which they will implement from 1 January 2027, when the age limit takes effect.
State Minister Akis Skertsos and Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou met today with representatives of TikTok: James Brunger (Head of Regulatory Strategy and Engagement), Camilla Giannecchini (Lead EU Regulatory Counsel) and Francesco Cacciapuoti (Public Policy and Government Relations Manager Greece, Italy, Malta & Cyprus).
In his remarks, the State Minister said:
Implementation framework
“Our aim is to ensure that, from 1 January 2027, the age limit established by Greece is enforced in practice. Law 5350/2026 has been passed. We now expect each platform to explain how it will comply. The best interests of children must guide this discussion. Protecting their health, privacy and development is a shared responsibility of governments and technology companies. Platforms must take responsibility for the services they design and operate. We expect you to operate responsibly and comply in substance. We are ready to work constructively with you, ensure technical co-ordination and resolve practical implementation issues. We expect the same commitment from you.
The law applies a calendar-year rule: everyone born in the same year is treated as having been born on 1 January. For 2027, this means that children born in 2013 or later are below the age threshold. Your systems must apply this rule correctly.
Greece has completed the European notification process. Our framework was designed to operate in line with the Digital Services Act, or DSA, and through its existing oversight and enforcement mechanisms. Its scope follows the European definition of online social networking services. The fact that a service is not included on the list of gatekeepers under the DMA does not, in itself, exclude it from that definition. The prospect of a future common European framework makes early preparation all the more important. We continue to expect operational readiness by the date the Greek law takes effect.
Age-verification mechanisms
We expect reliable age verification capable of ensuring compliance with the legal age limit. Simply asking users to state their date of birth does not provide reliable assurance when they can enter a false age. Your approach must cover both new registrations and existing users. We want you to explain how you will identify and prevent access by users below the age threshold, including those who have given an inaccurate date of birth.
Greece offers the age-verification features of Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet as implementation options. Our technical teams can work with yours to explore integration and the testing required.
You may use another reliable solution. The framework allows you to choose the technology, subject to requirements for effectiveness, proportionality and compliance with personal data protection rules.
Personal data protection
The aim is to confirm eligibility for access while disclosing only the minimum information necessary. Privacy-preserving digital age credentials can confirm that the age threshold has been met without revealing a user’s full name or exact date of birth.
We also expect you to address foreseeable methods of circumvention, verification errors and the need for accessible alternatives for those entitled to access. We want evidence of the effectiveness of your proposed solution.
We want to meet again in early December 2026. By then, each platform should present a specific implementation plan, along with a demonstration of its proposed solution. Please ensure that your delegation includes executives authorised to commit the company, as well as the technical and compliance teams responsible for implementation.
Requirements for the December presentation
Your presentation should cover:
· The age-verification method you have chosen and how you will apply the calendar-year rule.
· Whether you will use Kids Wallet or Gov.gr Wallet, or choose an alternative solution.
· Coverage of existing accounts, new registrations and other relevant means of access.
· Privacy safeguards, data retention and procedures for correcting errors.
· Test results, outstanding prerequisites and implementation milestones.
· A named senior executive responsible for readiness by 1 January 2027.
Any obstacle requiring action by the Greek authorities must be flagged promptly, with a precise description and a proposed solution. The meeting in early December must leave sufficient time to address outstanding issues before implementation begins.
Meta’s settlement in the United States is a significant development. It combines substantial financial consequences with commitments on age verification and protecting younger users. We believe this development changes expectations across the industry. Every platform must prepare for closer scrutiny of the impact of its services on children and the effectiveness of its safeguards.
Greece as a European pilot
Greece offers an opportunity to prepare constructively: a clear legislative framework, available public digital infrastructure and a government willing to work directly on implementation. Greece can serve as a European pilot for effective protection of minors that respects privacy. Together, we can show how a legal age limit can be turned into a practical protection mechanism.
We want measurable results: reliable verification, restricted access for children below the age threshold, protection of personal data and clear accountability.
We prefer co-operation. Where compliance proves inadequate, the competent authorities will use the applicable national and European procedures, while respecting the allocation of responsibilities under the DSA.
Let us conclude today’s meeting with a clear commitment from each platform: appoint an implementation lead, begin technical co-operation immediately and have a solution ready to present at our meeting in early December. You have flexibility in choosing the technology. You have a clear responsibility to comply with the law. Greece is ready to help make implementation a success, and we expect every platform to be ready on 1 January 2027.”
Technical tools and digital wallets
For his part, Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou presented the technical age-verification process using Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet. With digital age credentials, platforms can confirm whether a user meets the age threshold for access without receiving their full name or exact date of birth. He also explained how the applications can be integrated with the platforms’ systems, transmitting only the information needed for age verification.
Mr Papastergiou noted that the two digital wallets have been designed with features aligned with the European framework’s requirements for effectiveness, reliability, proportionality and privacy protection. He clarified that they are available options for platforms, which may also use other solutions meeting the same requirements. He also referred to Greece’s active participation in the European technical age-verification solution and the prospect of interoperability with the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet).
He also stressed that implementing the new framework is an opportunity for the platforms themselves to use Greece as a first test case for reliable age-verification solutions. With an age limit in place and digital tools available, the country offers the conditions for co-operation that could contribute to broader European efforts to protect minors online.
Next steps and meetings
Mr Papastergiou asked the platforms to inform their users in Greece in good time about the changes taking effect on 1 January 2027 and the age-verification process that will be followed.
The meeting also agreed to begin co-operation immediately at working-group level and to hold technical meetings between the relevant officials from the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission, and the platforms. The meetings will provide a detailed presentation of how the age-verification mechanism works and examine the technical requirements for integrating it with their systems.
Also attending today’s meeting were Special Secretary for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance Vasilis Karkatzounis, legal adviser to the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Elita Sfakiotaki, and Ioanna Choudalaki, representing the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission.
Meetings with representatives of Meta, Snapchat, Google and Microsoft will follow.