Kyriakos Mitsotakis Pushes Through Greece's Landmark Social Media Age Limit

Greece has officially become the first country within the European Union to enact a comprehensive social media ban for children under the age of 15. The legislation, which passed the national parliament on October 23, 2026, sets a firm deadline for implementation: it will go live on January 1, 2027. This move marks a significant shift in European digital policy, moving from broader regional discussions to concrete national enforcement ahead of any potential EU-wide standard.

The new regulations target major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Under the act, these services are required to implement age-verification methods that are both reliable and proportionate to the user experience. The law does not merely suggest these measures; it mandates them, creating a legal framework that compels tech giants to verify the age of their youngest users more rigorously than before.

The path to this legislation was not without political friction. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the measure earlier in 2026, describing the bill as "difficult but necessary." However, the proposal faced opposition from minority parties in the Greek parliament. Despite this resistance, Mitsotakis leveraged his majority government to see the bill through to passage. This follows a broader national trend, as Greece had already implemented a ban on mobile phones in schools back in 2024.

Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, defended the government's decision to act unilaterally rather than waiting for a broader European solution. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law. But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," Papastergiou stated, emphasizing the urgency felt by the administration.

To enforce the ban, the law introduces a dual mechanism involving both platform compliance and parental oversight. Non-compliance by social media companies will result in fines under the existing EU Digital Services Act. For households, parents will be required to download state-backed applications named Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps must be paired with their child’s device to actively block access to social media services, creating a technical barrier to usage at home.

The technical approach relies on a concept known as "age tokens." According to Papastergiou, these digital credentials are designed to confirm a user's age while minimizing the amount of personal data disclosed. This method aims to balance the need for accurate age verification with the protection of user privacy, addressing a common concern regarding how much personal information is shared during the sign-up process.

Public sentiment appears to align with the government's actions. Opinion polls indicate that the social media ban is widely supported by the adult population in Greece. This domestic backing provides a strong foundation for the policy, suggesting that the measure is not just a top-down political directive but one that resonates with many families navigating the digital landscape.

Looking ahead, the Greek government intends to use this national law as a catalyst for broader European change. Mitsotakis has stated that his administration’s goal is to push the European Union in the same direction. While the European Commission has recently introduced the EU Kids Act, which proposes an outright ban for children under 13, Greece’s threshold of 15 sets a distinct precedent. The nation is also watching the experience of Australia, the first country to enact a full social media ban for kids, where implementation challenges regarding age verification have already emerged.