Greece is preparing to bar children under 15 from accessing social media starting January 1, 2027, after Parliament approved legislation establishing a minimum age for users. The measure gives platforms responsibility for verifying users’ ages, but its practical implementation raises questions about enforcement, privacy and the protection of children online.
The bill, titled “Prohibition of the Use of Online Social Networking Services by Minors Under 15,” was approved by Parliament’s plenary session on Thursday. The delayed start date is intended to give platforms and families time to prepare.
The government aims to make Greece the first European Union member state to introduce such a restriction. The ministries involved have described the measure as an effort to establish rules that are reasonable, proportionate, effective and consistent with European law to protect children in the digital environment.
The central challenge will be turning the legislation into an effective system. Its impact will depend on whether platforms conduct meaningful age checks, authorities can enforce the rules, and children are protected without excessive data collection, mistaken account restrictions or a shift to less-regulated services.
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The eight key challenges facing the ban
1. Defining which services are covered
The legislation sets 15 as the minimum age for access to social media from January 1, 2027. It does not provide an exception based on parental consent or allow special accounts for children ages 13 and 14.
A key question is which services will legally qualify as social media, particularly platforms that combine social networking with video games or messaging.
The challenge will be to establish clear, consistent definitions so platforms, parents and regulators know which services fall under the ban, leaving no gaps or arbitrary exemptions.
2. Applying a consistent age-calculation rule
The proposed system uses a uniform method for calculating age, under which children born in the same calendar year are treated as reaching the relevant age threshold on January 1.
Families and platforms will need clear guidance on how the rule works. Procedures must also be available to correct errors when children are mistakenly blocked from accessing services.
The goal is to make age verification and appeals straightforward, without placing disproportionate burdens on families. Authorities will also need to avoid requiring millions of adults to reverify their accounts and ages unnecessarily.
3. Verifying age without compromising privacy
Platforms will be responsible for age verification, but the legislation does not mandate exclusive use of Greece’s Kids Wallet or Gov.gr Wallet digital services.
The challenge is to establish reliable checks without collecting unnecessary personal information or revealing users’ identities. Verification systems will need to be secure, interoperable and subject to safeguards against errors, data breaches and the use of personal information for other purposes.
4. Coordinating enforcement across borders
Implementation will take place within the existing European framework under the Digital Services Act (DSA), involving Greek authorities, regulators in the countries where platforms are established and the European Commission.
Because platforms operate across national borders, questions remain about who will investigate complaints, how quickly compliance can be secured and when penalties can be imposed.
Effective enforcement will require clear divisions of responsibility and cooperation among regulators. A complaints mechanism alone will not be enough unless reports lead to investigations and, where necessary, sanctions.
5. Preventing workarounds and migration to less-regulated services
The ban aims to reduce excessive social media use, exposure to harmful content and unwanted contact with strangers.
However, it remains unclear whether the age limit will reduce these risks or push children toward other services with weaker safeguards. Users may also try to circumvent restrictions by providing false information or using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Authorities will need to assess actual compliance and monitor whether children migrate to less secure online environments. The article notes that circumvention has also occurred in Australia, underscoring the difficulty of making such restrictions effective in practice.
6. Protecting children without cutting off the internet
The measure is intended to restrict access to social media, not the internet as a whole. That distinction raises questions about how minors will retain access to information, communication, creative activities and self-expression.
The restriction will need to be shown to be proportionate and accompanied by digital education, parental support and safe ways for children to access online content. Responsibility for protecting minors, the legislation’s framework argues, cannot rest solely with parents.
7. Aligning the Greek rules with future EU legislation
Greece intends to introduce its age limit while European-level legislation is still under development.
One issue is how the national rules will interact with the proposed EU KIDS Act, which is still a draft regulation and would allow restricted accounts for 13- and 14-year-olds under parental responsibility.
The EU proposal covers a broader range of services and includes additional obligations for safer design. Greece may therefore need to adjust its framework to ensure compatibility with the final European rules.
8. Measuring the impact on children’s mental health
The government presents the restriction as a measure to protect children’s mental health and well-being. Determining whether it achieves that goal will require more than counting how many accounts are removed or blocked.
Evaluation could examine changes in excessive use, sleep, well-being and exposure to online risks. The legislation’s success will depend on transparent assessments using clear indicators and involving experts, parents, educators and children.
Evidence that social media can pose risks to young people does not, by itself, establish that a minimum age of 15 will reduce those risks. Measuring the results will be essential to determining whether the policy works as intended.