Greek government ministers met with representatives of Meta Platforms to call for reliable age verification systems ahead of a planned ban on social media use by children under 15, set to take effect on January 1, 2027.
State Minister Akis Skertsos and Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou led the government delegation on Thursday, November 12, 2026. The discussions focused on enforcing Law 5350/2026 across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads.
Under the motto “Our goal and your responsibility,” the government urges major tech companies to build trustworthy age-checking tools. Each platform must appoint an implementation officer and initiate technical cooperation with state authorities by early December 2026. Companies must also submit a concrete deployment plan alongside a live technical demonstration of their proposed solution.
Reviewing participants and ongoing tech consultations
Claudia Trivilino, Meta’s Public Policy Manager for Italy and Greece, represented the technology giant during the Athens meeting.
Christos Trikoukis, Managing Director of EMG Strategic Consulting, also joined the company’s delegation. Legal advisor Elita Sfakiotaki attended for the Digital Governance Ministry, alongside Ioanna Choudalaki from the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT).
The Greek government began this series of regulatory consultations in early November with representatives from TikTok and Microsoft. Ministers will continue their outreach on Friday, November 13, with a scheduled meeting involving Google representatives.
Enacted in October 2026, Law 5350/2026 prohibits children under 15 from accessing online social networking services across Greece. Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou explained that platforms can verify user ages through the state-backed “Kids Wallet” application.
This privacy-focused tool confirms whether a user meets the age threshold without sharing personal data. Companies failing to enforce proper age checks face regulatory fines under the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
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