Greece submitted a bill to Parliament on 12 October 2026 that bars under-15s from social networking services. The Greece social media ban takes effect on 1 January 2027 and allows no exception for parental consent. The plenary vote is expected on 22 October 2026.
What the Bill Changes
The bill sets a minimum age of 15 for social networking services and places the duty of checking age on the platforms themselves.
It runs to six articles and operates inside Greek Law 5099/2024, which implements the European Union’s Digital Services Act. Ministers presented it at a news conference in Athens on 12 October 2026: Akis Skertsos, Minister of State, Adonis Georgiadis, the Health Minister, and Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence.
Three limits on its scope are worth stating plainly. It does not restrict general internet use, it does not restrict smartphone ownership, and it does not name an exhaustive list of applications. Ministers gave Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as covered examples, the accompanying questions-and-answers document cites LinkedIn, and ProtoThema reports that extending it to Snapchat is still under review. Whether a service counts depends on whether it provides social networking.
Which Children Are Affected, by Birth Year
Eligibility runs by birth year, not by birthday: every child is treated as though born on 1 January of their birth year, so a child who turns 15 during 2027 is still locked out for that whole year.
| Year of birth | When social media access is permitted |
|---|---|
| 2012 or earlier | Permitted from 1 January 2027, when the rules begin |
| 2013 | 1 January 2028 |
| 2014 | 1 January 2029 |
Children born in 2013 or later are therefore the group shut out when the law starts. Existing accounts get no protection: an account opened before 1 January 2027 by a child below the threshold must be brought into line, which in practice means losing access.
There is no provision for ages 13 and 14 as a separate category. The bill does not create supervised or restricted teen accounts, and it does not let a parent authorise an account for a child under 15.
How Platforms Must Check Age
Platforms must use what the bill calls appropriate, proportionate and reliable age-verification methods, and asking a user to type a date of birth does not qualify.
Greece is offering state tools rather than mandating them. Its Kids Wallet app, and the broader Gov.gr Wallet, return only a flag showing whether the holder is above or below 15 — not a date of birth, not a name, not an identity number. Where a platform cannot establish age confidently, it generates a QR code for the user to scan with the wallet app. Companies may use any other method that meets European standards instead.
Papastergiou framed this as a data-minimisation design, saying at the presentation that “we do not give platforms any of our children’s personal data whatsoever” and that Kids Wallet “does not even provide a date of birth, only a flag indicating whether someone is above or below the age of 15”, as quoted by ProtoThema.
This sits on top of a European framework that already anticipates national age limits. The European Commission’s guidelines under Article 28(1) of the Digital Services Act, published on 14 July 2025, recommend “effective age assurance methods provided that they are accurate, reliable, robust, non-intrusive, and non-discriminatory”, and specifically point to age verification where national rules set a minimum age for defined categories of social media. Those guidelines are voluntary, but the Commission uses them to judge compliance.
Who Enforces It, and What Platforms Risk
Enforcement is split across three Greek authorities and the European Commission, depending on where a platform is established and how large it is.
- Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT): The Digital Services Coordinator, which receives complaints and forwards those about platforms based in other member states to the relevant national authority.
- National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority: Oversight of the age limit for providers established in Greece, within their respective remits.
- European Commission: Responsible for the very large online platforms under the Digital Services Act.
The bill introduces no new fines or sanctions for children or for parents. Financial penalties fall on platforms through the existing Digital Services Act machinery, and no Greek-specific amounts have been published. Georgiadis added a civil route, saying that “if platforms fail to implement the rules properly, people will be able to go to court and seek compensation”, in remarks reported by ProtoThema.
What the Bill Does Not Contain
Several rules widely associated with this debate are not in the Greek bill, and confusing them with it is easy because they come from a European proposal running in parallel.
The proposed EU KIDS Act would set no social media under 13 and no personal account under 15, allow 13- and 14-year-olds supervised accounts with a daily cap of no more than one hour, and carry penalties of up to 6% of worldwide annual turnover. None of that is Greek law, and the EU KIDS Act is not in force. Greece’s bill contains no daily time limits, no overnight curfews and no supervised-account category.
What Happens Next
As of 14 October 2026, the bill has been submitted to Parliament and taken to committee for examination and consultation with stakeholders, the plenary debate and final vote are expected on Thursday 22 October 2026, and the age limit would apply from 1 January 2027.
Skertsos said the bill is expected to pass on that date. The government holds a parliamentary majority, but the vote has not been held, and the text can change in committee.
How Greece Compares With Australia and France
Greece would be the second EU member state to legislate an under-15 limit, after France, and the pattern elsewhere shows the threshold and the enforcement model both vary.
| Country | Age limit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 16 | In force since December 2025 |
| France | 15 | Passed 21 July 2026, the first in the EU |
| Greece | 15 | Bill before Parliament; would start 1 January 2027 |
| Denmark | 15 | Agreed by parties in November 2025; enactment unconfirmed |
Australia’s experience is the one Greek ministers cite. Papastergiou acknowledged evasion as a real problem, pointing to Australia, and said the government is discussing further safeguards with technology companies, including checks on VPN use, language settings and mobile phone data. Reported Australian penalties conflict across sources, with figures of A$49.5 million and a doubled A$99 million per breach both in circulation, so no single amount can be stated with confidence.
What Is Still Unsettled
- The vote: Scheduled for 22 October 2026 but not held, and the six articles may be amended in committee.
- The platform list: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are the named examples; Snapchat is under review; the law defines scope by function rather than by name.
- Penalty amounts: No Greek figures published, with sanctions left to Digital Services Act procedures.
- Circumvention: A false age, a borrowed account or a VPN does not make the restriction lawful to bypass, but officials concede none of it is prevented by the age check alone.
- Platform response: No major platform has said publicly how it will verify Greek users’ ages by 1 January 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Does the Greece Social Media Ban Start?
The age limit would take effect on 1 January 2027, if Parliament passes the bill at the plenary vote expected on 22 October 2026.
Which Children Are Affected?
Children born in 2013 or later are below the threshold when the rules begin. Eligibility runs by birth year rather than birthday, so children born in 2013 may use the services from 1 January 2028 and those born in 2014 from 1 January 2029.
Can Parents Give Consent for a Child Under 15?
No. The bill contains no parental consent exception and no restricted account category for 13- and 14-year-olds.
Which Platforms Does the Greece Social Media Ban Cover?
It applies to social networking services. Ministers named Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as examples and the official questions-and-answers document cites LinkedIn, but the law sets no fixed list and scope depends on whether a service provides social networking.
Does Greece’s Ban Include Daily Time Limits?
No. Daily caps of one hour and supervised teen accounts belong to the separate EU KIDS Act proposal, which is not law. Greece’s bill is a straight age limit.
What Happens to Accounts Children Already Have?
They are covered. Accounts created before the rules take effect receive no exemption, so under-15s holding existing accounts would lose access.
