Greece has officially approved legislation prohibiting children under the age of 15 from using covered social media services, establishing a new national age limit that will take effect on January 1, 2027. The measure, passed by the Greek Parliament on October 23, 2026, is part of a growing international effort to address concerns about children’s online safety, mental health and the effects of prolonged social media use. The new law will put greater responsibility on technology companies to determine whether users meet the minimum age requirement.
The legislation marks a significant step in Greece’s approach to children’s digital lives. Rather than relying entirely on parents to supervise screen time or on platforms’ existing age policies, the government is introducing a legal restriction backed by age-verification requirements. The rules are intended to limit access to social networking services for children who have not yet turned 15, with platforms expected to prepare their systems before the start date.
Greek officials have argued that social media can expose young users to risks associated with excessive screen time, cyberbullying, inappropriate content and algorithm-driven feeds designed to keep people scrolling. Government representatives have also raised concerns about the possible effects of heavy use on sleep, concentration, emotional well-being and children’s opportunities to spend time with friends offline. The government presents the age limit as one measure within a broader strategy for protecting minors online, rather than a complete solution to every digital-safety problem.
A central part of the law is the responsibility placed on social media providers to use appropriate, proportionate and reliable methods of age verification. Platforms will need ways to identify users who are below the legal age threshold and prevent them from accessing services covered by the restrictions. This could require changes to account-registration systems, existing user accounts and the processes companies use to assess age.
The government has pointed to tools such as Greece’s Kids Wallet and the Gov.gr Wallet as possible ways to support age checks while limiting the personal information shared with platforms. Officials have described an approach based on confirming whether someone is above or below a particular age threshold, rather than necessarily disclosing their full date of birth. However, the framework does not mandate a single exclusive technology, leaving room for providers to use suitable verification methods that meet the rules.
How age checks are implemented will be a major test of the policy. Systems that are too easy to bypass may have limited impact, while systems that collect excessive personal information could raise privacy and data-security concerns. Companies will have to balance effective enforcement with safeguards for users’ information, including minimizing unnecessary data collection and ensuring that age-verification processes are secure.
Oversight is also expected to operate within the European Union’s existing digital-services framework, which involves cooperation among national authorities and the European Commission according to their respective responsibilities. That means implementation will not necessarily be limited to a single Greek regulator dealing independently with every major international platform.
Although the government has defended the restriction as a necessary step to protect children, the legislation has not secured broad agreement across Greece’s political parties. Opposition lawmakers have raised questions about whether a blanket age limit is practical, whether children will find ways around it and whether the verification process could create new privacy risks. Some have argued for a more graduated system that would allow older teenagers to use certain platforms under stricter safeguards and parental supervision.
These concerns reflect a wider challenge facing governments considering social media restrictions. Age limits may reduce children’s access to particular services, but they do not automatically eliminate harmful content, cyberbullying or other online risks. Children may attempt to evade restrictions by entering false birth dates, using another person’s account or moving to services that are less well regulated. Effective implementation will therefore depend on both reliable verification and continued attention to online safety.
Privacy is another important issue. An age-verification system needs to establish eligibility without unnecessarily collecting sensitive personal information or creating a system that tracks children across the internet. Greece’s government has emphasized data minimization, but the effectiveness of those safeguards will depend on how the rules are implemented in practice and how the systems are independently overseen.
Greece’s decision comes amid a broader international debate over how governments should regulate children’s access to social media. Australia has already introduced restrictions on social media accounts for younger users, while European countries are exploring different approaches to age limits, parental controls and platform accountability. The policies vary, however, and Greece’s law should not be treated as identical to the rules in other countries.
The European Union is also considering a broader framework for protecting children online, including discussions about age verification and safer digital services. Greece’s national law is a separate measure, and its practical operation will need to be considered alongside applicable European digital-services and data-protection rules. Whether other countries adopt similar restrictions may depend on the results of early implementations, the technical challenges involved and public debate over children’s rights and online access.
With the law approved, the focus now shifts to implementation before January 1, 2027. Social media companies will need to prepare age-verification processes, determine how existing accounts will be handled and make sure their systems comply with the new requirements. Greek authorities will also need to clarify the practical details of enforcement, including how complaints will be handled and how privacy protections will be assessed.
For families, the change means that children under 15 will face a legal restriction on accessing the social networking services covered by the law. It does not amount to a general ban on children using the internet, owning smartphones or accessing every digital service. The precise scope will depend on which services fall under the legislation and how its provisions are applied.
Greece’s new law sets a clear date and age threshold, but its real-world impact remains to be seen. Supporters expect the restrictions to help reduce exposure to some of the pressures associated with social media, while critics question whether the ban can be enforced fairly and effectively without creating additional privacy problems. The outcome will depend not only on the law itself, but also on the reliability of age checks, the responsibilities platforms take on and the broader support available to children and families navigating digital life.