On November 12 2026, Greek government officials convened in Athens with representatives from Meta, TikTok and Microsoft to outline age‑verification protocols ahead of a new law that will prohibit children under 15 from using social‑media platforms as of January 1, 2027, sources BTA and eKathimerini report.
The measure, approved by Parliament on October 23 2026, bans all Greek users born before January 1 2013 from accessing social‑media networks and removes any possibility of parental override, the BTA article notes. The ban begins on New Year’s Day, 2027, and is meant to protect the nation’s youth from the growing influence of online interactions.
Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou and State Minister Akis Skertsos led the discussions, according to a government statement released by BTA, with officials from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, joined by TikTok and Microsoft representatives, and an upcoming encounter with Google officials was scheduled for the following Friday, Kathimerini said.
Government statement said:
The aim is for platforms to design and present reliable age verification mechanisms that they will put into effect from January 1.
Underlying the decision, research cited by Kathimerini revealed that more than half of students in the first three grades of high school had started using social media between the ages of ten and twelve, and that one in four reported excessive use while one in five reported feeling insecure, distracted, or edgy when denied mobile phone access.
Companies are required to present a concrete plan for implementing verification procedures by the beginning of December, the government statement added, giving platforms a tight window to develop technology that can distinguish users under the legal age.
A further meeting with Google representatives is slated for Friday, bringing a fourth major platform into the dialogue, according to Kathimerini’s online edition.
The law will affect every Greek citizen born after January 1 2013, including those already possessing social‑media accounts, and explicitly forbids parental exemption, thereby assigning responsibility solely to the corporations rather than to adolescents or their guardians, the statement said.
Under the new regulation, platforms will be held liable for breaches, rather than students or parents, meaning that failure to enforce age limits could lead to legal repercussions for Meta, TikTok, Microsoft, Google, and subsequent carriers, BTA reports.
Greek Parliament’s backing, announced by The National Herald, signaled a decisive shift in policy that may set a precedent for other democracies balancing child protection with digital freedoms, underscoring the role of elected institutions in stewarding public trust and ensuring online safety.
