Greece passes social media ban for under-15s from January 2027

Key takeaways

• The Hellenic Parliament in Athens approved a law early on Friday, 23 October 2026, that bans children under 15 from social media platforms, according to Reuters.
• The ban takes effect on 1 January 2027. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are named, and Greek reports say LinkedIn is also on the initial list. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Messenger are not covered.
• Platforms, not parents, must verify ages. Greece's state Kids Wallet app can confirm whether a user is over or under 15 without passing on a birth date.
• The law adds no new Greek fines. Enforcement runs through the EU Digital Services Act, which allows fines of up to 6% of a provider's global annual turnover.
• Only the ruling New Democracy party voted in favour. PASOK abstained and the other opposition parties voted against.

Greece social media ban: what parliament passed

The Hellenic Parliament passed Greece's social media ban for children under 15 early on Friday, 23 October 2026, after more than 16 hours of debate, Reuters reported. The ban starts on 1 January 2027, and platforms must verify users' ages.

The bill was presented on 12 October by Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Digital Governance and AI Minister Dimitris Papastergiou. It went to committee on 13 October, ahead of a plenary vote scheduled for 22 October. Bulgaria's state news agency BTA, citing Greek public broadcaster ERT, said the bill passed "by a majority".

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first announced the plan in April 2026. According to Reuters, he gave platforms about two and a half months to find a way to check users' ages while protecting their privacy. The government says it wants to help parents curb "endless scrolling", which it argues costs children sleep, concentration and time with friends.

Which platforms are covered

Papastergiou said the restrictions would apply to Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, according to Proto Thema. Greek City Times, citing Balkan Insight, reported that LinkedIn is also on the initial list. Other networks may be added later. European authorities are still assessing whether Snapchat belongs in the same category.

Coverage depends on whether a service offers social networking, not on its brand name. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Messenger stay available to teenagers. To Vima reported that the law does not block children from the wider internet, educational resources or digital communication services.

The limit applies by birth year. Proto Thema explained that everyone born in a given year is treated as born on 1 January, so children born in 2013 or later are restricted from 2027.

How age checks will work

The law makes technology companies responsible for verifying age. Platforms must use methods that are "appropriate, proportionate, and reliable", Euronews reported. Typing in a date of birth alone does not count as reliable.

If a platform cannot confirm a user's age, it can show a QR code that the user scans with Kids Wallet, the government's age-verification app. The app returns a yes-or-no answer to the question of whether the user is over 15. It does not share a name, exact birth date or ID number. Platforms may also use Gov.gr Wallet or other tools that meet Greek and EU law. The government has said it does not want to impose one technology on every service.

Accounts opened before the start date get no exemption. Platforms must re-verify the ages of existing users in Greece, so not every under-15 account will simply be closed on 1 January.

Fines and enforcement under the Digital Services Act

Skertsos said the Greek framework creates no new sanctions regime and works within existing European rules, according to Proto Thema. The provisions sit inside Law 5099/2024, Greece's law implementing the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). The key reference point is DSA Article 28, which requires platforms to protect minors.

In Greece, the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) is the national Digital Services Coordinator. The National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority oversee their own areas. Complaints about platforms based in another EU country are forwarded through EETT. For very large online platforms, the European Commission holds supervisory and enforcement powers. The Commission says DSA fines "shall in no case exceed 6% of a provider's global annual turnover."

The law sets no penalties for children or parents. Georgiadis said people could go to court and seek compensation if platforms fail to comply.

What the opposition objected to

To Vima summarised each party's objections:

• PASOK abstained. It preferred age-graded protections, parental involvement and digital literacy to a blanket ban.
• SYRIZA questioned whether the evidence shows a ban works, and raised concerns about age checks, data protection and how the law would be evaluated.
• KKE said the measure ignores the business models of tech companies, including algorithms built to maximise engagement.
• Course of Freedom criticised the lack of stronger limits on addictive features and asked how users over 15 would be protected.
• Greek Solution favoured education and parental guidance over prohibition.
• Niki questioned whether the age-verification system is technically ready.

To Vima also reported that 13 of the 15 organisations heard in committee were positive about the measure, and that the government says it consulted the European Commission and that the law complies with EU law.

How Greece compares with Australia and EU plans

Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban when its under-16 restriction took effect on 10 December 2025, enforced by the eSafety Commissioner. Greece's limit is a year lower at 15. Unlike Australia, it relies on EU-level DSA enforcement rather than a separate national fines regime, and it offers a state-run age-verification app.

In the EU, a proposed EU KIDS Act, unveiled on 17 September, would bar under-13s from social media. It would allow 13- and 14-year-olds limited, parent-managed accounts and let those 15 and older open their own. The European Parliament and the Council still need to approve it. Greece's law also sets 15 as the age for independent access, but allows no supervised accounts for 13- and 14-year-olds. Skertsos said Greece acted without waiting for a common EU framework and would adjust its law if European rules change.

Reuters reported that Greece is one of seven EU countries working with the European Commission on an age-verification solution. France passed a similar under-15 law, but its Constitutional Council struck it down in August 2026.

What it means

For Meta, TikTok and other platforms, Greece now has a hard age limit with a fixed start date. Skertsos has called Greece the first European country to introduce such legislation, and the deadline leaves little time to build compliant age checks. Because fines run through the DSA, the largest risk for major platforms sits with the European Commission rather than Greek regulators. That adds to the scrutiny Meta already faces over child safety and privacy, including the $25 billion New Mexico judgment against Meta.

For families, much remains untested: how reliably platforms can identify under-15 users, how many existing accounts will be removed, and whether teenagers shift to services outside the law, such as messaging apps. As with Australia, the first data on enforcement will show whether the ban works. Greece's approach also sits within a wider wave of EU digital rules; see our guide to the EU AI Act after the digital omnibus. For related coverage, read our report on Mark Zuckerberg's California residency deal and the latest from our Tech section.

Sources

• Reuters (via Global Banking & Finance Review): Greece passes social media ban for children under 15, 23 Oct 2026
• BTA, citing ERT: Greece approves social media ban for children under 15 from 2027
• To Vima: Greece passes social media ban for children under 15
• Proto Thema: How Greece's under-15 social media ban will work on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
• Euronews: Greece's social media ban for under-15s, what you need to know
• Greek City Times: Greece social media ban for under-15s heads to a vote
• European Commission: Enforcement of the Digital Services Act
• JURIST: Greece prime minister announces plan to ban social media for children under 15 (April 2026)