The Greek government has officially announced a landmark policy to ban social media access for children under the age of 15, citing growing concerns over teen mental health and digital addiction. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the legislation is expected to be finalized by mid 2026, with full enforcement beginning on January 1, 2027. This move positions Greece as one of the first European nations to implement such a strict age-based restriction on digital platforms.

To enforce this ban, the government will introduce a digital tool called the "Kids Wallet," which will be integrated into the existing Gov.gr Wallet app used by citizens. This system will allow parents to manage their children's digital identity and provide "age tokens" to social media platforms. These tokens will verify that a user meets the age requirement without sharing sensitive personal data, aiming to balance strict enforcement with user privacy.

Social media companies that fail to comply with these age verification requirements face massive financial penalties. Under the framework of the EU Digital Services Act, Greece can impose fines of up to 6% of a company's total global turnover. Prime Minister Mitsotakis is also advocating for a unified European "digital age of majority" at 15, arguing that a collective EU-wide approach is necessary to effectively hold global tech giants accountable and protect the next generation.