Greece Bans Social Media for Under-15s From January 1, 2027 — Age Verification and Fines Ahead

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaking in parliament

Greece's parliament has passed a law banning children under 15 from social media, with the ban taking effect on January 1, 2027. The bill was pushed through on Friday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's New Democracy party, which used its parliamentary majority to pass it with no other party voting in favor.

The law requires social media platforms to verify the ages of their users and threatens harsh penalties for companies that fail to comply. Platforms will have roughly two and a half months to come up with a verification method that protects users' privacy before the deadline arrives.

Greece is following Australia, which became the first country to impose such a ban with its under-16 rule. According to an AFP tally, more than 20 countries have now passed laws restricting children's access to social media. Supporters say the move protects children from addiction, harmful content and online predators, while critics warn that age verification could create new privacy risks of its own.

The ban lands as governments worldwide wrestle with how to regulate Big Tech's youngest users — and all eyes are now on how Greece enforces a rule that no other European country has attempted at this scale.

Source: Reuters (via Duke FM) — read more

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