2027: The Year Greek Parents Must Install State Apps to Block Social Media

Greece will require parents to install specific government applications on their children's devices starting January 1, 2027. This new legal framework makes the country one of the first in the European Union to formally restrict social media access for minors. The mandate follows an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and was approved by parliament despite opposition from minority parties.

The law applies to major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services are now obligated to implement age-verification methods that are described as proportionate and reliable. To enforce compliance on the household level, parents must download either Kids Wallet or Gov.gr. These state-backed tools pair with a child's device to block access to the designated restricted services.

Digital governance and AI minister Dimitris Papastergiou justified the move by arguing against waiting for a unified European standard. He stated that doing nothing would have been easy, but the current challenge requires immediate action because children are increasingly immersed in the internet. The government contends that a responsible state must act now rather than wait for a perfect European law to emerge.

The technical design of the mandated apps prioritizes data minimization. Papastergiou explained that the applications use age tokens to verify a user's age while collecting the least amount of personal information possible. Companies that fail to meet these new standards face financial penalties under the existing EU Digital Services Act.

Context for this legislation includes Greece's 2024 ban on mobile phones in schools. Opinion polls suggest that a large share of Greek adults support the new restriction on young people's online habits. Mitsotakis has indicated that his government aims to influence the wider EU to adopt similar measures. The European Commission recently proposed the EU Kids Act, which proposes a stricter ban for children under 13, aligning with the Greek initiative's general direction.

Australia holds the distinction of being the first nation to enact a comprehensive social media ban for children. Implementing age verification in that country has encountered difficulties. Greece's strategy relies on state-controlled apps to manage this process, a method that will now face its own practical tests in the coming year.