Greece confirms new ban starting next year in major policy shift

Greece has revealed it will bring in a brand new regulation next year that will affect millions of people. The development follows Australia’s implementation of a comparable measure in December 2025, and now Greece is calling on the European Union to adopt its forthcoming ‘ban’.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, that Greece will prohibit all those under 15 from using social media. The policy, which will take effect on 1 January 2027, is intended to safeguard children’s mental well-being and will be enforced regardless of parental approval.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed to “unambiguous” evidence that excessive screen time and social media algorithms are fuelling anxiety and sleep problems among youngsters. Figures from the Greek Safer Internet Centre in Athens reveal that 75 per cent of children currently on social media in Greece are of primary school age.

This comes as the UK Government has begun discussions about potentially banning under-16s, while Ireland and Denmark are weighing up similar action. Last month, the House of Lords backed a motion to prohibit under-16s from accessing social media platforms in the UK.

In a TikTok video, Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced: “We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old. Greece is among the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure.” The prime minister further stated his intention to pressure the European Union into following suit.

The Greek government intends to implement the ban via its existing ‘Kids Wallet’ application, which is already utilised to verify ages for alcohol and tobacco purchases. This app will be deployed to filter and restrict social media access at the device level, reports the Mirror.

Rather than relying on social media platforms to regulate themselves, Greece is taking a ‘source-based’ approach. Parents will be obliged to activate the Kids Wallet app on all of their children’s devices to block access at the system level. Greek officials are hopeful that this state-mandated device-level restriction will effectively combat circumvention methods, such as VPNs.

Greece joins a growing number of nations introducing stringent age-based digital restrictions, amongst them Australia, which enforces an under-16 ban, and Indonesia. Following the announcement, Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging that a common EU-wide “Digital Age of Majority” be established at 15.

While both Greece and Australia share the common aim of safeguarding children’s mental health, their methods of enforcement differ considerably. Australia’s existing under-16 ban places the responsibility squarely on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to identify and remove underage accounts.

Since its introduction in December 2025, Australia’s platform-based model has encountered difficulties. The eSafety Commissioner recently flagged “significant concerns” regarding platforms that permit children to circumvent checks or that offer inadequate reporting tools for parents.

Australia’s ban affects ten major “high-risk” social networks but largely exempts educational and messaging services such as Google Classroom and WhatsApp. The Greek proposal forms part of a wider framework that also limits minors’ access to online gambling, dating apps, and tobacco and alcohol sales.

Meanwhile, the UK government is actively weighing up an outright ban on social media for under-16s through a high-profile national consultation and parliamentary debate. A three-month government consultation on “digital wellbeing” is currently underway, seeking opinions on restrictions such as overnight curfews and “app caps,” and is due to close on 26 May 2026.

In Parliament, the House of Lords has twice dealt a blow to the government by inserting an amendment into the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would impose a social media ban for those under 16. The House of Commons previously voted down this measure in March 2026, with the bill set to return to the Commons on 15 April, 2026.