A law aimed at children could end up collecting data about every adult in the country. That’s the real problem with Greece’s new social media ban, and it deserves more attention than the headline age limit.
Parliament passed the law on October 23, and it takes effect on January 1, 2027. According to Proton VPN, it bans anyone under 15 from online social networking services and puts the job of checking ages on the platforms. Parents can’t give permission, and existing accounts aren’t exempt.
What the law covers
The ban applies to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Messaging apps stay available to under-15s. The government suggests its Gov.gr Wallet and Kids Wallet apps for age checks, though platforms can use other methods that meet EU law.
The law sets no separate national fines. Enforcement runs through the EU’s Digital Services Act. Only New Democracy voted for it. PASOK abstained, and five other parties voted no.
Checking children means checking everyone
Here’s the catch. A platform can’t keep under-15s out unless it verifies everybody. Under the April plans, every user in Greece gets checked again, adults included.
The government says Kids Wallet only tells a platform whether a user is above or below the limit, with no birth date or identity details. That’s the right design, and I’d like to see it independently audited before anyone takes it on trust.
In May, 25 organizations sent a 19-page letter warning that wallets and identity checks could erode anonymity and turn internet access into constant monitoring. They also said there was no real consultation, and asked why YouTube seemed to be left out. Separately, the government has said it wants to end anonymous social media accounts. Put those together and the direction is clear.
Age checks leak and get bypassed
Any store of IDs, face scans, or birth dates is a target. After UK age checks began, breaches left many adults unwilling to upload ID for legal content. And the checks don’t reliably work anyway. Minister Dimitris Papastergiou admitted that if a parent uses their own ID for a child’s check, “then obviously we have failed.” Teens in Australia have already found workarounds.
Greece isn’t alone. Australia’s under-16 ban started in December 2025. France passed an under-15 ban, but its Constitutional Council struck it down in August. Denmark and Austria have plans of their own.
Better options exist
Child safety is a real goal, and even the critics agree. But there are less invasive routes:
- Share only an over-or-under result, nothing else.
- Run checks on the user’s device, using open-source code anyone can inspect.
- Leave access decisions to parents, not tech companies.
- Regulate addictive design, such as endless feeds, instead of identifying users.
Greece says it will adjust its law once the EU’s Kids Act passes. That’s a chance to fix this. If it doesn’t, adults will be paying for a child protection law with their anonymity.