Greece bars young kids from social media to curb screen time

Greece has passed a law that will bar social media access for children under 15, starting in early 2027. The measure, announced by the prime minister earlier this year, covers platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The law requires social media platforms to use proportionate and reliable age-verification methods.

The law will go into effect on January 1, 2027. Parents would also need to download apps backed by the state called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr that are paired to their child's device and block access. Those apps, said Greece's digital governance and AI minister, Dimitris Papastergiou, are designed to protect privacy and minimize data collected by using 'age tokens' that can confirm someone's age while minimizing the disclosure of their personal data.

Failure to comply with the act will lead to fines under the EU's Digital Services Act. The legislation was opposed by Greece's minority parties, so Mitsotakis used his majority government to pass the bill. The nation previously barred mobile phones in schools in 2024, and opinion polls show that the new social media ban for children is widely supported by Greece's adult population.

The law is now official and will go into effect on January 1, 2027. Greece's parliament has passed a social media ban for kids under 15 after its prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first announced the measure earlier this year.

The bill, which Mitsotakis called 'difficult but necessary,' is among the first to be imposed in the European Union so far. The new law covers platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, and mandates that such services apply proportionate and reliable age-verification methods.

The legislation was opposed by Greece's minority parties, so Mitsotakis used his majority government to pass the bill. The nation previously barred mobile phones in schools in 2024, and opinion polls show that the new social media ban for children is widely supported by Greece's adult population.

The law is now official and will go into effect on January 1, 2027. Greece's parliament has passed a social media ban for kids under 15 after its prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first announced the measure earlier this year.

The bill, which Mitsotakis called 'difficult but necessary,' is among the first to be imposed in the European Union so far. The new law covers platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, and mandates that such services apply proportionate and reliable age-verification methods.