Greece bans social media access for children under 15 from 2027
publishers 19articles 22first reported 23 Oct, 06:17 UTCdeveloping since 23 Oct · 7 editions
Greece’s parliament has approved a law barring children under 15 from using social media, with the restrictions due to take effect on January 1, 2027.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s conservative New Democracy party used its parliamentary majority to pass the measure following a heated debate. No opposition party supported it. The socialist PASOK party abstained after proposing a different approach that would have banned social media for children under 13 and required parental controls for 13- and 14-year-olds; other opposition parties voted against the legislation.
The law requires social networks to use reliable age-verification methods and provides for penalties when companies fail to comply. Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said the state-backed Kids Wallet system would disclose only whether a user was above or below the age threshold, rather than sharing a birth date or other personal information. Engadget reported that parents would pair Kids Wallet or the Gov.gr app with a child’s device to block access, and that noncompliant platforms could face fines under the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
Mitsotakis announced the plan in April, describing it as “difficult but necessary.” The government says the ban is intended to protect children’s mental health and curb excessive use of social platforms.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 7 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 22 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 19
- Source articles
- 22
- Given to the writer
- 8, 4 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 7
- This version written
- 22 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
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