Greece's parliament has voted by a majority to pass a law banning children under 15 from using social media. The law will take effect on January 1, 2027, and was supported only by MPs from the ruling New Democracy party, while the main opposition PASOK party abstained and the rest voted against.
Digital Policy Minister Dimitris Papastergiou called the new regulations "necessary, effective, proportionate and compatible with EU legislation." He said the government must combat uncontrolled internet use, which causes addiction among children and harms their mental health.
From January 1, 2027, digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be required to verify whether their accounts and services are directed at adults. The ban applies to specific social networks, not to children's general access to the internet or their ability to own mobile phones.
Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis noted that the law does not define a specific age-verification method; solutions must be effective, reliable and confidential.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of all this is that the law was passed without a clear age-verification mechanism. MPs approved a ban due to take effect in January 2027, yet the government itself admits that a solution does not yet exist. In other words, platforms have less than a year and a half to find the answer themselves to the question of how to prove a user's age without violating privacy.
The voting result speaks for itself: only the ruling party voted in favor of the law, while the opposition abstained or voted against. This means there is no political consensus around the regulation, and if problems arise during implementation, responsibility will fall entirely on the executive's shoulders.
A separate question is whether the ban will work. Age verification is technically difficult and often leads to the collection of personal data, which in turn creates new risks. How Greece will solve this equation is one of the most interesting questions of the coming months.
