From TechRadar · · 1m 50s
Greece bans under-15s from social media starting 2027
Greece's parliament has passed a law banning children under 15 from platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with age verification through a government app.
In brief
Greece's parliament has passed a law banning children under 15 from platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with age verification through a government app. Greece has become one of Europe's first countries to ban under-15s from social media, effective January first, twenty twenty-seven, requiring platforms to…
Greece passes under-15 social media ban
Greece's parliament has passed a law banning children under fifteen from social media, effective January first, twenty twenty-seven. The ban covers Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
How the vote went down
Lawmakers approved the bill late on October twenty-second after a debate lasting more than sixteen hours. Only the governing New Democracy party voted in favor, while PASOK abstained and five other opposition parties voted against.
Mitsotakis called it necessary
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.
“difficult but necessary measure”
How age verification will work
When a platform cannot confirm a user's age, it will display a QR code to be scanned with Kids Wallet, a government app.
Government says data stays private
Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said the app does not reveal the age of the individual or any other personal information. We do not give platforms any of our children's personal data whatsoever.
“We do not give platforms any of our children's personal data whatsoever”
Privacy advocates warn of wider impact
Twenty-five organizations warned that in practice, everyone in Greece could have to prove their age, chipping away at online anonymity. Greece is also considering plans to end anonymous social media profiles altogether.
Greece joins a global movement
Australia's under-sixteen ban took effect on December tenth, twenty twenty-five.France passed its own under-fifteen ban but its Constitutional Council struck it down in August on freedom of expression grounds.
What to remember
Greece has become one of Europe's first countries to ban under-15s from social media, effective January first, twenty twenty-seven, requiring platforms to verify ages using a government app.
