Greece plans to introduce a minimum age of 15 for social media access from January 1, 2027, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said, outlining a system intended to protect children without exposing their personal information to platforms.
In an interview with state-run news agency AMNA, Papastergiou said the government would advance national legislation rather than wait for the European Union to complete its own rules. He estimated that the European process could take about 20 months, leaving another generation of children without adequate protection.
The timetable builds on Greece’s previously announced social media restrictions. The minister said legislation initially expected in August was delayed while Athens awaited details of the European initiative. Greece could subsequently adjust specific provisions to align with the final European framework.
How Kids Wallet would verify age
Papastergiou described Kids Wallet, Greece’s government-developed application, as a practical answer to platforms’ objections that they cannot reliably establish users’ ages.
He said the tool would transmit only a signal indicating whether a user was above or below the relevant age threshold. It would not disclose a date of birth or other identity details to the platform.
The approach addresses a central tension in the debate: protecting children while safeguarding privacy. Digital rights organizations have raised concerns about the implications of mandatory age verification for anonymity and personal data.
Papastergiou said platforms should take responsibility for determining users’ ages and use verification tools when they lack reasonable certainty. Parents, he warned, must not help children bypass checks by lending them an adult’s identity credentials.
Safer platforms and support for parents
The European Commission’s proposed EU KIDS Act sets 15 as the minimum age for minors to open their own social media accounts and would prohibit platforms from accessing children under 13.
Papastergiou described the intermediate approach for children aged 13 to 15 as access, with parental consent, to specially designed environments rather than today’s unrestricted platforms. He cited nighttime shutdowns, a maximum of one hour’s daily use, restrictions on messages from strangers and the removal of endless scrolling.
He argued that platforms must be safe by design, with responsibility for protecting children resting primarily on providers. Parents should support age verification and help children maintain a balance between online activity and everyday life.
The government also plans outreach through schools, teachers and parent associations. Papastergiou said an age limit alone could not resolve problems associated with addictive design, including fear of missing out and pressures on self-esteem.
He said success would require legislation, informed parents and technical safeguards that make restrictions harder to evade, alongside helping children discover activities and relationships beyond the digital world around them.
Adults must examine their own phone habits, he added, because children imitate what they see at home.
On enforcement, he pointed to procedures under the EU’s Digital Services Act, describing cooperation between Greece’s telecommunications regulator, EETT, and authorities in countries where platforms are established. He said bringing penalty procedures closer to Greece remained under examination.
Papastergiou also called for European safeguards to cover artificial intelligence services, citing the risks of children receiving unsuitable responses from AI systems.
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