Greece is joining a fast-growing group of countries cutting off young teens from social media feeds. Under a new law taking effect on January 1, 2027, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X will have to ban anyone under fifteen. The decision marks one of the toughest digital restrictions passed in Europe so far.
Parliamentary debates and local reporting
Lawmakers in Athens approved the bill after an intense sixteen-hour debate in parliament, according to reporting from local news outlet Kathimerini. Only the governing party voted in favor of the measure, while opposition groups either abstained or voted against it. The government pushed the law through anyway, arguing that waiting for a perfect Europe-wide solution would take far too long.
How Kids Wallet handles age verification
Instead of letting platforms collect sensitive personal documents from kids, the law relies on a government mobile app called Kids Wallet. Parents scan a QR code inside the app to generate a privacy-focused token that confirms their child’s age without exposing birthdays or real names. If a platform fails to verify user ages or bypasses the system, it risks facing massive financial penalties under European digital safety rules.
The ban applies retroactively, meaning existing accounts owned by under-fifteens will be locked once the rule kicks in. Standard messaging apps like WhatsApp are excluded from the ban so teenagers can still text their friends and family. Still, digital rights groups worry that mandatory age checks across platforms could quietly erode online privacy for everyone else.
Mental health concerns and European momentum
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed to rising anxiety, poor sleep, and addictive scrolling habits as the primary reasons behind the crackdown. Greece now joins Australia, which implemented its own under-sixteen social media ban late last year. Other European nations like Spain, Britain, and Austria are actively working on similar age restrictions to protect young users online.
Enforcing different age limits across individual countries is rapidly turning into a major headache for big tech companies. Social media platforms will have to adapt quickly as more governments move away from self-regulation for minors. For teenagers in Greece, the era of unmonitored scrolling and public accounts is officially coming to an end.
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