Greece will ban children under 15 from accessing social media platforms starting January 2027, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced Wednesday. The restriction targets major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Mitsotakis delivered the announcement through a video posted on the very platforms Greece plans to restrict, opening with a popular internet meme to connect with young audiences. He framed the decision as addressing documented mental health concerns among Greek youth.
Many young people tell me they feel exhausted from comparisons, from comments, from the pressure to always be online.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister — BBC
The enforcement mechanism will rely on Greece's existing Kids Wallet system, a digital control tool that allows parents to monitor their children's mobile phone usage. The platform already prevents minors from purchasing tobacco and alcohol through age verification codes. Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou explained that age tokens will verify users are over 15 without exposing personal data to platforms.
Greece joins a rapidly expanding group of nations implementing youth social media restrictions. Australia became the first country to enact such legislation in December, requiring platforms to remove accounts of users under 16 or face fines up to 28 million euros. Since implementation, Australia has blocked over 4.7 million profiles.
The BBC frames Greece's decision within a broader European regulatory trend, emphasizing the growing international consensus on youth digital protection while balancing coverage with industry concerns about enforcement challenges. Their perspective reflects the UK's own consultation process on similar measures.