Greece Bans Social Media for Under-15s Starting in 2027
Greece's parliament has officially approved a strict new law barring children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms beginning in 2027. Under the legislation, tech companies have just two months to deploy mandatory age verification systems to enforce the restriction.
A hard cut-off for young users
Lawmakers in Athens passed the measure following months of debate surrounding youth mental health, screen addiction, and platform accountability. Reuters reports that the law will enact a sweeping prohibition across major social networks for anyone under 15 years old when it takes effect in 2027.
The legislation puts platforms in an immediate operational crunch. Tech companies have been granted just two months to put workable age verification systems into place. For tech giants already under fire over youth safety—such as revelations showing TikTok ignored internal alerts on child exploitation—building a reliable, privacy-compliant age check on a sixty-day clock presents a major technical headache.
Greece social media ban: key dates and age limits
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Greece |
| Minimum age | 15 years old |
| Implementation date | 2027 |
| Compliance window | 2 months for age verification |
The looming fight over age verification
Age assurance remains one of the messiest problems in internet policy. Platforms typically rely on either government ID uploads, credit card checks, or biometric facial estimation. Each method introduces trade-offs between data privacy and circumvention risks.
Greece is not operating in a vacuum. Regulators across France, the UK, and Australia have pushed for similar curbs, but enforcement consistently stalls over how to verify a teenager's age without hoarding sensitive personal data. If social networks fail to satisfy the Greek parliament's two-month deployment window, they could face steep administrative penalties before the 2027 user ban even takes effect.
Mandating age limits is the easy part for lawmakers; the reality of age verification is where these bills routinely crumble. A two-month implementation deadline is aggressive for platforms that struggle to balance verification with basic EU privacy rules. Expect pushback from civil liberties groups and digital rights advocates long before the 2027 ban arrives.
What it means across the EU
While the statute specifically targets residents in Greece, EU member states will be watching the rollout closely. If Greece succeeds in compelling platforms to verify ages within two months, other European nations are likely to borrow the framework under the broader umbrella of the EU Digital Services Act.
Greece has drawn a definitive line on youth platform access, but the burden now falls squarely on tech companies to build functional verification systems without creating an operational and privacy disaster.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for social media in Greece?
Under the new law passed by Greece's parliament, children under 15 years old are banned from using social media platforms starting in 2027.
When does Greece's social media ban take effect?
The ban takes effect in 2027, but platforms have been given a two-month deadline to deploy functional age verification systems.
Sources
- Yunanistan 15 Yaş Altına Sosyal Medyayı Yasaklıyor. @Techmeme, 2026. https://x.com/Techmeme/status/2113568814533325291