Greece is moving to ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social networking services, introducing a new regulatory framework that is expected to come into force on 1 January 2027.
The main provisions of the bill were presented on Monday by Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, and Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, with a focus on protecting minors from the risks linked to the use of social media, as well as safeguarding users' privacy.
The bill will be tabled before the parliamentary committees on 13 October, while debate and the final vote in the plenary have been scheduled for 22 October.
The new framework is due to apply from 1 January 2027, giving platforms time to prepare for the changes.
Skertsos referred to the responsibility of the state and technology companies to protect children online, stressing that the bill sets a clear age limit at 15 and places the burden of verifying users' age on platforms.
He noted that parents need real support in the face of algorithms designed to keep children constantly connected, underlining that technology must be regulated with people in mind and, in particular, the health and development of minors.
At the same time, he pointed out that the Greek initiative is moving forward in parliament and feeds into a common European response to protecting children in the digital world.
Age limit
The central provision of the reform is a ban on access to social networking services provided by online platforms for minors who have not yet reached their 15th birthday.
The measure covers services such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook and is accompanied by an obligation on platforms to apply appropriate, proportionate, and reliable age-verification methods.
Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet are expected to play a key role in implementing the measure.
Companies will also be able to choose different technical solutions, provided that these meet the requirements of European law. The aim is to ensure the effective enforcement of the age limit without imposing a single technology across all services.
Papastergiou said Gov.gr Wallet and Kids Wallet are tools for verifying age that are designed to protect privacy and minimise the amount of data collected.
Digital 'age tokens'
The options presented are based on the use of digital "age tokens," which make it possible to confirm whether the age threshold has been met without requiring the disclosure of more personal data than is strictly necessary.
In this way, a platform can obtain the necessary confirmation that a user meets the prescribed age limit without needing access to full identity details or other sensitive personal data about the minor.
Under the specifications outlined, age-verification mechanisms must rely on robust and accurate techniques, work effectively in real-life usage conditions and offer sufficient safeguards to prevent circumvention.
The bill forms part of the European regulatory framework for digital services and the Digital Services Act. A key reference point is Article 28 of the DSA, which concerns the protection of minors who use online platforms.
Supervision will not take place solely at national level, but through the existing DSA mechanism, which provides for cross-border cooperation between the competent authorities and the European Commission.
In Greece, the main authority is the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT), which acts as Digital Services Coordinator. Within their respective remits, the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR), for oversight of the relevant provisions, and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA), for personal data issues and the DSA's related requirements, are also involved.
How the enforcement process is triggered
The enforcement process can be triggered by a user complaint or by information passed to the EETT from another authority or body.
If the case concerns a platform supervised by another member state, it is forwarded to the competent authority in the country where the platform is established.
Protecting the mental health of minors
The initiative is part of a wider debate on the impact of social media use in childhood. Concerns are centred around pressures on mental health, symptoms of anxiety and depression, cyberbullying, and effects on concentration.
The government argues that setting a clear age limit, combined with reliable checks, will help protect children from such risks. At the same time, the effectiveness of the measure will depend on platforms fulfilling their obligations.