Greece requires parents to install government apps to block under-15s from social media
The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, and targets major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
By Malik Salazar ·
Starting next year, parents in Greece will need to install specific government applications on their children's devices to restrict access to popular social networks. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2027, marking one of the first legal bans on social media use for children under 15 in the European Union.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed the bill following its approval by Parliament earlier in the year. He described the measure as difficult but necessary. The legislation applies to major platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, requiring these services to implement age verification methods that are both proportionate and reliable.
To enforce the ban at the household level, families must use state-backed apps named Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These applications pair with a child's device to block access to the designated services. Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou stated that the apps are designed to protect privacy and limit data collection. They utilize age tokens that verify a user's age while disclosing the minimum amount of personal information possible.
Papastergiou argued that Greece moved ahead of EU-wide regulations because the issue required immediate action. He noted that waiting for a perfect European law would have meant doing nothing while children faced daily challenges online. He stated that a responsible government must fulfill its obligations in this area.
Companies that do not comply with the new requirements face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. The law passed with the support of Mitsotakis's government majority, as minority parties opposed the legislation. Opinion polls suggest that Greek adults broadly support this restriction on children's social media use.
Greece already banned mobile phones in schools in 2024. The government aims to influence the rest of the EU to adopt similar measures. The European Commission recently proposed the EU Kids Act, which seeks to ban social media for children under 13, a slightly older threshold than the Greek law.
Australia was the first country to enact a full social media ban for children. Implementing age verification in Australia has proven difficult, a challenge that Greece will now face as it rolls out its own state-backed app system.
