Greece will prohibit access to social media for children under 15 starting January 1, 2027, announced Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a video posted on TikTok.
“We have decided to take a difficult but necessary measure: banning social media access for children under 15,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the legislation will be voted on this summer and will come into effect at the beginning of 2027.
“The Greece is one of the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure,” the Prime Minister noted, while also pushing the European Union to follow suit.
Australia was the first country to legislate on this issue, implementing a law at the end of 2025 that requires platforms to ensure users are at least 16 and removes accounts of younger users. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, and Australia’s Kick comply under threat of fines up to €28 million.
Read more about this topic: Austria bans social media for under-14s
France, Denmark, and Spain have passed similar legislation, with France enforcing a ban for users under 16 as of January 2026. In Portugal, the parliament approved a PSD-backed law limiting social media access for children and youth: under-16 users require parental consent, while those under 13 are fully restricted.
Mitsotakis emphasized that prolonged screen time affects brain development and assured parents that this measure is merely a tool, not a replacement for parental involvement. Addressing young users directly on social media, he stated, “Our goal is not to distance you from technology, but to combat addiction to certain apps that harm your innocence and freedom.”
