Greek Parliament Passes Social Media Ban for Under-15s, Effective January 1, 2027

5.4 · 8d ago · WORLD · TECH

The Facts

  • The Greek parliament passed a law banning the use of social media by minors under age 15. ✓2 · DW, Al Jazeera
  • The law takes effect on January 1, 2027. ✓2 · DW, Al Jazeera
  • Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's New Democracy party backed the bill and used its majority to pass it. ✓2 · DW, Al Jazeera
  • The opposition party PASOK abstained from the vote. ✓2 · DW, Al Jazeera
  • PASOK had sought an alternative bill banning social media for under-13s, with parental controls for 13- and 14-year-olds. Al Jazeera only
Dive deeper · 7 more factsShow less
  • SYRIZA, Greek Solution, KKE, Niki and Freedom Course voted against the bill. DW only
  • Digital Governance and AI Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said platforms have until January 1 to determine whether the accounts they host and services they provide are intended for adults. DW only
  • Papastergiou said the government's 'Kid's Wallet' app, built to EU codes and specifications, reveals only whether a user is over or under 15, not date of birth or other personal data. DW only
  • The law requires age verification on social networks and imposes penalties on non-compliant companies. Al Jazeera only
  • Mitsotakis announced plans for the ban in April, in a TikTok video. Al Jazeera only
  • Greece is one of seven EU countries seeking to introduce age-verification standards for social media. DW only
  • About 20 countries now restrict young people's access to social media, including Australia, France, Brazil, Indonesia, Austria, Denmark and the UK (either introduced or planned). Al Jazeera only

Context

Greece's parliament passed a law barring children under 15 from using social media, with the measure taking effect on January 1, 2027. The governing New Democracy party carried the vote; PASOK abstained and other parties opposed.

The government says an EU-spec age-verification app, Kid's Wallet, will confirm only whether a user is over or under 15. Greece joins a growing group of countries restricting minors' social media access, following Australia. Questions remain about enforcement and effectiveness of such bans.

Conflicting Reports

  • Vote date: DW says the bill passed Thursday; Al Jazeera says it passed Friday after a debate that began Thursday.
  • Opposition votes: DW says SYRIZA, Greek Solution, KKE, Niki and Freedom Course voted against and PASOK abstained; Al Jazeera says none of the other parties backed the bill and PASOK abstained.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 3.

7 Policy Expert Parliament enacted a binding national law banning under-15s from social media with penalties and age verification requirements, affecting many minors, platforms, and families, though it takes effect in 2027 rather than immediately.
6 News Editor Parliament passing a national law banning under-15s from social media with penalties is a concrete, newsworthy legislative action affecting many minors and platforms, but it is a single national measure with a deferred effective date, so it sits in the moderate-importance range.
6 Science & Tech Analyst A national law passed by Greek parliament banning under-15s from social media with age verification and penalties is a concrete, moderately significant regulatory action affecting many minors, though limited to one country and effective only in 2027.
5 Critical Reader Parliament passing a national under-15 social media ban with penalties is a concrete new law affecting Greek minors and platforms, though it takes effect only in 2027 and is one of many similar national measures.
5 Informed Citizen A national law enacted with concrete penalties and age-verification requirements affects Greek minors and platforms, but it is a single-country measure with a delayed effective date of 2027, so its immediate impact is moderate.
5 Business Analyst A national law passed by parliament imposing a concrete under-15 social media ban with age verification and penalties is a significant regulatory action affecting platforms and many families, though it is not market-shaking breaking news and takes effect in 2027.
4 Global Affairs Analyst A national law passed by parliament imposing a social media ban on under-15s is a concrete, newsworthy regulatory action affecting many minors and platforms, but it is a domestic policy measure with limited geopolitical reach and a effective date more than a year away.

Sources (2)

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