The Greek government on Monday said that it has unveiled draft legislation to prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms from Jan.1, 2027.
The proposed legislation would require social media platforms to verify users’ ages, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, and Minister for Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou told a news conference in Athens.
Papastergiou said the initial restrictions would target Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, although the list of affected platforms could be revised.
The government said the proposed measures were aimed at protecting children from harmful content, cyberbullying, and platform features that encourage excessive use, while ensuring they retain access to digital services needed for communication, education and daily activities.
Skertsos said Greece intended to become the first European country to introduce comparable legislation.
He added that the proposal had been developed in consultation with relevant European authorities to ensure compliance with the European Union’s regulatory framework.
The legislation would be implemented under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Papastergiou said.
He added that platforms found to have breached applicable rules could face fines of up to six per cent of their global annual turnover.
The initiative comes as European policymakers consider wider measures to strengthen online protection for children.
The proposed EU KIDS Act is still undergoing the EU legislative process.
The planned restrictions follow other government measures to protect minors, including a ban on mobile phone use in schools and the development of digital tools to enhance children’s online safety.
