Greece makes government apps mandatory for parents of under-15s

Greece will require parents to install two specific government applications on their children's devices starting January 1, 2027. The new law blocks under-15s from using TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Parliament approved the measure on October 23, 2026, making Greece one of the first EU members to legislate a social media age limit.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the bill as "difficult but necessary." The law obligates social media companies to implement reliable age-verification systems. If platforms fail to comply, they face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act.

On the household side, parents must download either Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These apps pair with a child's device to restrict access to the named services. Digital governance minister Dimitris Papastergiou explained that the tools use "age tokens" to verify age. He stated that this method limits data collection to protect user privacy.

Papastergiou argued that waiting for a unified European law was not an option. "It would have been very easy to do absolutely nothing today and wait for the perfect European law. But the challenge is here. Children are sinking into the internet every day, and I believe a responsible government must do what it is obliged to do," he said.

The bill passed with support from Mitsotakis's majority. Minority parties in parliament voted against the legislation. Greece already banned mobile phones in schools in 2024. Opinion polls show that most Greek adults support the new social media restrictions.

The European Commission has introduced the EU Kids Act, which aims to ban social media use for children under 13. Mitsotakis said his government wants to push the EU toward similar rules. Australia enacted the first full social media ban for children, but it has struggled with implementing age verification. Greece's new system will now test the effectiveness of its state-backed app approach.