Greece Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 15 Starting in 2027

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday that Greece will ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms starting January 1, 2027, describing the measure as "difficult but necessary." Mitsotakis made the announcement in a video posted to TikTok, addressing both parents and young people directly. The legislation is expected to pass through the Greek parliament during the summer of 2026. The prime minister cited rising anxiety, sleep disruption, and the addictive design of platforms as the primary drivers behind the decision. „We have decided to move forward with a difficult but necessary measure: banning access to social networks for children under 15” — Kyriakos Mitsotakis via Adnkronos Mitsotakis said the decision followed extensive consultations with parents, many of whom reported harmful effects on their children from prolonged use of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. An opinion poll published in February showed that 80 percent of Greeks support the ban, according to reporting cited by NOS.

Kids Wallet app and platform fines to enforce the rules Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou outlined how the ban will be enforced, placing legal responsibility on both platforms and parents. Social media companies will be required to verify the ages of their users, and failure to comply will result in fines under the Digital Services Act. Parents will be required to download a state-backed application called Kids Wallet, which can be paired to a child's device to block access to restricted platforms. Papastergiou noted that Greece's enforcement model differs from Australia's approach, where responsibility rests entirely with the platforms. Under the Greek framework, parental verification of a child's age through the app is a central component. The ban will prevent minors from creating or maintaining accounts and will block both posting and messaging functions. The proposed framework also extends to other categories of harmful content, including gambling sites, tobacco and alcohol platforms, dating services, and explicit material, according to in.gr.

Mitsotakis pushes Brussels for an EU-wide digital age limit Mitsotakis wrote a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for a unified European framework to be in place by the end of 2026. „National action alone will not be enough. A unified European framework must be in place by the end of 2026 to complete and strengthen national initiatives adopted for the protection of minors” — Kyriakos Mitsotakis via Adnkronos The Greek prime minister specifically proposed establishing a European digital age of majority at 15 and banning social platform access for users below that threshold across all EU member states. He also proposed obliging platforms to carry out age verification every six months. Mitsotakis framed Greece's move as a catalyst for broader European action, stating that his country would not be the last to take such an initiative. „Greece will be among the first countries to take such an initiative. I am certain, however, that it will not be the last. Our goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well” — Kyriakos Mitsotakis via Engadget

Australia led the way, and a wave of countries is following Australia became the first country in the world to implement a social media ban for minors, with its law coming into force in December 2025 and applying to children under 16. The Australian legislation requires platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick to verify user ages, with fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for non-compliance, according to TechCrunch. Since January, more than 4.7 million profiles have been blocked in Australia following the ban, according to NOS. Greece joins a growing list of countries moving in the same direction. Denmark secured parliamentary support for a ban on under-15s in November 2025, with legislation potentially becoming law as early as mid-2026. French lawmakers passed a bill in late January banning social media for children under 15, though it still requires Senate approval. Spain, Britain, Austria, and Germany have also announced or discussed similar restrictions. Greece had already taken steps to limit children's exposure to digital devices before this announcement, having banned mobile phones in schools in 2024, according to Engadget. Australia's December 2025 ban was the first nationwide social media age restriction enacted anywhere in the world. The broader debate over children's access to social media has intensified across Western democracies in recent years, driven by research linking excessive screen time to mental health issues including anxiety and sleep disorders.

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