Greece passes under-15 social media ban, and every user may soon have to
prove their age

Date:
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:54:43 +0000

Description:
Greece has passed a law banning under-15s from social media from January
2027. Heres how the age checks will work and what it means for Greek teens.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Greeces parliament has passed a law banning children under 15 from social media, starting January 1, 2027. Platforms must verify users ages, and the government is pointing to its Kids Wallet app as the privacy-friendly way to do it. Greece follows Australias lead, while Frances attempt was struck down and the UK is preparing its own rules. Greece has passed a law banning children under 15 from social media, making it one of the first European countries to turn a teen social media ban into law.

The restrictions take effect on January 1, 2027, and cover platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Lawmakers approved the bill late on October 22 after a debate lasting more than 16 hours. Only the governing New
Democracy party voted in favor, while PASOK abstained and five other opposition parties voted against.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first announced the plan in April, calling it a difficult but necessary measure, and blaming social media for rising anxiety, poor sleep, and addictive design.

As with similar laws elsewhere, the job of checking ages falls on the platforms. That has privacy advocates worried, and its likely to spark the usual surge of interest in the best VPN apps. You may like France blocks under-15 social media ban over freedom of expression fears First your age, next your identity: Inside the 'hack' that broke the EU age verification
app's privacy promises Australia mulls world-leading ban on smart glasses in government agencies How Greeces ban will work The law is short but strict. Parents cant give their children permission to sign up, and accounts created before January wont be exempt.

Which services are covered depends on how they work rather than what theyre called, with LinkedIn named alongside the big three. Messaging apps remain available to under-15s.

When a platform cant confirm a users age, it will display a QR code to be scanned with Kids Wallet, a government app.

The app only tells the platform whether the user is over or under 15; it doesn't reveal the age of the individual or any other personal information.
We do not give platforms any of our childrens personal data whatsoever, said Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou.

Greeces broadcasting council and data protection authority will supervise compliance, with the European Commission handling the largest platforms under the Digital Services Act. What to read next Azerbaijan blocks TikTok, Instagram, and X amid growing protests over hijab rules Meta settles its alleged social media harm case for $18B and agrees to massive changes that may be almost impossible to enforce Utah becomes the first US state to target VPNs with a strict age verification law, but top providers refuse to budge

When the plans were announced in May, 25 organizations warned that, in practice, everyone in Greece could have to prove their age, chipping away at online anonymity.

This criticism likely doesn't bother the Greek government, however, since it is also considering plans to end anonymous social media profiles altogether. While online anonymity is important, the situation does change depending on the type of online activity: private or public. Greece joins a growing list Australias under-16 ban took effect on December 10, 2025, the first of its kind. France passed its own under-15 ban , but its Constitutional Council struck it down in August on freedom of expression grounds.

The UK plans to ban under-16s from social media from spring 2027, though it has ruled out restricting VPNs to enforce it. Slovenia, Spain, and Austria
are working on similar measures, and the EU is drafting its own Kids Act, which Greece says it will adapt to.



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