The Greek Parliament has ratified a law banning the use of social media platforms for children and adolescents under the age of 15, becoming the first legislation of its kind to be officially approved within the European Union. The law is scheduled to officially enter into force on January 1, 2027, targeting major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, while obligating operating companies to implement reliable and proportionate digital mechanisms to verify users' ages before granting them access to services.
Implementation Mechanisms and Technologies Used
The new legislation relies on a dual model combining the obligations of tech companies and parental responsibility, with a focus on protecting privacy through modern technologies:
- Company Obligations and Fines: Platforms are forced to adopt age-proportionate verification means, and non-compliant companies face penalties and financial fines in accordance with the provisions of the European Digital Services Act (DSA).
- Approved Government Applications: The legislation requires parents to download government applications such as "Kids Wallet" or "Gov.gr" and link them to their children's devices to control access to the platforms covered by the ban.
- Age Tokens Technology: Government applications use this technology to confirm the user's age group without the need to disclose sensitive personal data or reveal the full identity to commercial companies.
Context of the Decision and European Legislative Momentum
The passage of the legislation was led by the Greek government headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, relying on the parliamentary majority despite objections from minority parties. Greek Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou, explained that the swift national action was prompted by children's daily immersion in the digital world, noting that waiting for a unified European law to be issued was not a practical option given the escalating risks to mental health and privacy.
This step complements previous policies taken by Greece, including the ban on using mobile phones inside schools in 2024. It also exceeds the age limits proposed in the "EU Kids Act" initiative put forward by the European Commission targeting a ban for those under 13, making Greek law much stricter in drafting regulatory rules.
What Does This Decision Mean in Practice?
This legislation places the under-15 age group and tech companies before a new operational reality; it represents a practical test of the efficiency of "age tokens" technologies in achieving the difficult balance between strict age verification, protecting user privacy, and preventing excessive data collection. While the restrictions enjoy broad support among adults in Greece, similar experiences—such as the Australian comprehensive ban experiment—have shown that the real dilemma lies not in drafting the legal text, but in the technical readiness of platforms to verify identities without disrupting the user experience for adults.