Questions and answers on the measure to ban the use of social media by minors under the age of 15 have been released by the government after the press conference of Health Ministers                    Adonis Georgiades, Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou, and State Affairs Akis Skertsos, at the Ministry of Digital Governance.

Questions and answers on the new measure

1. Why now? Why is intervention necessary?

The Greek Prime Minister was the first to highlight the need to protect minors from internet addiction at the UN General Assembly in September 2024. Since then, Greece has promoted a series of measures at the European and national levels through a comprehensive strategy for the protection of minors from internet addiction. KidsWallet was the first operational age verification mechanism adopted by an EU Member State, while Greece’s proposal for a pan-European digital age of majority has been politically adopted by 13 Member States.

This initiative is part of a broader international momentum: more and more countries are recognising that the protection of minors online cannot be based solely on the individual responsibility of families or the self-regulation of platforms. Australia, France, and Spain are gradually moving towards measures such as age limits, mandatory age verification, and parental consent, while European legislation is also moving towards stricter obligations for technology companies.

The intervention is happening now because children’s daily lives have largely moved to the digital environment, and the risks are no longer theoretical but real and measurable. The aim is firstly to protect minors from effects associated with the use of social networks, in particular on mental health, normal psychosocial development, but also on their privacy and personal data. At the same time, the state is strengthening the role of parents and guardians, giving them real tools of supervision and consent so that they can effectively protect their children in the digital environment and are not left alone in the face of technologies that are evolving much faster than their control capabilities.

2. Which platforms are concerned by the intervention?

The measure concerns services that operate as social media. That is, any application or website where users create profiles, interact with each other, and can post content that others see (e.g. posts, stories, videos, comments, likes, followers).

The definitions given by the European Commission in the Digital Services Act will be followed. Indicative examples are platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

3. How will it be implemented?

Legislation of this type is not a panacea. It is a complex technical and regulatory issue that requires time to implement and collaboration with the platforms themselves. In all countries where similar measures are being introduced, implementation is gradual and does not mean that the next day minors’ accounts will be automatically “closed” – reliable age verification systems need to be put in place first.

In France, an age limit (15 years) has been introduced for creating an account without parental consent and the obligation for platforms to verify age through independent providers is moving forward, so that personal data is also protected. Full implementation is still in progress and will be phased in by the end of 2026.

Experience shows that the measures do not act as a “switch” that directly solves the problem, but they do act as a powerful protection tool that reduces minors’ exposure and forces platforms to take responsibility for the environment they create.

Children under the age of 15 will not be able to use social networking services.

– In practice, the main responsibility for implementation lies with the platforms themselves, which are required to install reliable age verification mechanisms and block access to minors below the threshold.

– The state does not directly control users, but supervises whether platforms comply: the EETT, as the Digital Services Coordinator, together with the ESR and the Data Protection Authority, monitor implementation and initiate procedures in case of violations – complaints about possible violations.

– The case is forwarded to the competent authority of the CM where the platform is installed or to the European Commission under the Digital Services Act.

– If a violation is detected, sanctions are imposed.

– Applicable from 1/1/2027.

During the implementation of the law, platforms will need to go through a “re-verification” age scenario of all accounts in Greece, so that accounts with a declared age different from the actual age and below the set limits will be excluded from using Social Media.

4. What are the penalties for non-compliance?

Where there is a breach of the legislation, the NCA will refer the case to the Digital Services Coordinator of the Member State where the platform is installed or, where appropriate, to the European Commission. The competent authorities assess the cases and impose the appropriate fines and penalties.

Under the Implementation Law for Digital Services, the following are foreseen:

– Fines of up to 6% of global turnover

– Daily fines for non-compliance

– Operating restrictions

– Parallel GDPR fines if personal data

5. What do experts say about the dangers of digital addiction? To what extent can it be treated as a risk to children’s psychosocial development equivalent to alcohol, smoking, and drugs?

Experts agree that excessive use of mobile phones, social media, and online games is not just a “bad habit” but can actually affect a child’s development. When a child spends too many hours on a screen, anxiety and depression rates increase, sleep decreases, loneliness and social comparison increase, and phenomena such as cyberbullying or isolation from the real world occur.

At the same time, certain digital activities activate the same “reward circuits” in the brain as addictive substances and can lead to loss of control, intense cravings, and withdrawal symptoms. For this reason, scientists are not saying that the internet is the same as drugs, but that at certain ages it can work similarly: it affects self-regulation, replaces basic activities (sleep, exercise, contact with friends), and interferes at a time when the brain is still maturing. Thus, digital addiction is now considered a public health issue, equivalent in developmental risk to alcohol or smoking: not because the substance is the same, but because the impact on children’s behaviour, learning, and mental health can be just as profound and long-lasting.

A recent study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which analyzed more than 10,000 adolescents, found that owning a smartphone by age 12 is associated with increased risks of depression, while getting one earlier intensifies these problems along with inadequate sleep and obesity.

Recent OECD research has shown that:

– 1 in 4 teenagers felt uncomfortable when personal information was shared online without consent.

– 17% of 11-15-year-olds were victims of cyberbullying in 2021-2022.

– 23% of 15-year-olds say they feel nervous or unsafe without access to their mobile phone.

– 20% of 15-year-olds neglect other important activities (sports, hobbies, etc.) because of social media.

6. What will happen – and what won’t happen – after 1 January 2027;

Access to social media will not be abruptly cut off. The regulatory framework for the major platforms is European: the rules, compliance procedures, and penalties are set at the European Union level and applied centrally. The competent Greek authorities do not “shut down” platforms; they identify infringements, file complaints, and activate the European control mechanism, which undertakes the assessment and enforcement of measures.

This is why the role of parents is crucial. Setting up KidsWallet and checking that the child does not bypass the protection mechanism is a key part of implementing the measure, just as important as the obligations and penalties faced by the big tech companies.

Regulation does not act as a “digital police” that replaces the family; it acts as a tool that reinforces their responsibility. Parents are urged to install KidsWallet to confirm that the child is not bypassing the safeguards and, most importantly, to discuss with the child the limits and appropriate use of technology. As with alcohol or driving, the law sets the framework, but day-to-day implementation depends on parental supervision and guidance. Without the cooperation of the family, no digital setting can be truly effective.

7. What has the EU done so far?

The first key milestone is the adoption and launch of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA introduces, at the EU level, an explicit obligation for platforms accessible to minors to take appropriate, proportionate, and effective measures to ensure a high level of privacy, security, and protection. At the same time, it provides that where a platform knows or can reasonably be expected to know that a user is a minor, targeted advertising based on profiling is prohibited, and that the protection measures should not lead to the collection of additional personal data solely for age determination purposes.

In addition, it establishes an enhanced regime of obligations for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and search engines (VLOSEs). These platforms are required to identify, analyze, and assess systemic risks and take reasonable and proportionate measures to mitigate them.

The next milestone came in July 2025, when the European Commission formally presented guidance on “age verification/age assurance” systems. The Commission adopted an approach that combines privacy with interoperability, launching a pilot tool involving six Member States. This tool acts as a bridge solution until the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) is fully implemented, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

At the political level, the initiative of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with the establishment of a special committee of experts on social media, plays a key role. Finally, the European Parliament, with a resolution in November 2025, is stepping up the political pressure for a more unified European approach. The resolution explicitly calls for parental or guardian consent for users under 16 and stronger age verification mechanisms.

8. Why can’t the ban come into force tomorrow?

Unlike countries outside the European Union, such as Australia, Greece operates within a commonly agreed European regulatory framework, which sets out specific rules and procedures. Although a member state may enact legislation restricting minors’ access to social media below a certain age limit, the implementation, supervision, and enforcement of these rules is not solely a national responsibility.

In practice, the major platforms are supervised at the European level, and any national regulation is assessed for its compatibility with EU law. This means that time is needed to consider whether the proposed measure can be implemented without creating legal or operational conflicts with the European framework. At the same time, these are interventions of a highly technical nature, which trigger specific control procedures at the European Commission level. Indicatively, a period of examination of approximately three months from the notification of the measure is foreseen, during which its technical and legal parameters will be assessed before its implementation.

9. What are the interventions suggested by the Greek Prime Minister in the letter to the President of the European Commission regarding European legislation?

Recognizing that the European regulatory grid is not sufficient to protect minors from online addiction, the Greek Prime Minister has also written an open letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In this letter, he calls for the immediate adoption of measures for the effective protection of our children.

In particular:
– The extension of the European pilot age verification programme across Europe, beyond the initial group of Member States, to ensure uniform application across the Union.

– The mandatory use of this single age verification mechanism by all platforms serving users under 15 years of age.

– The establishment of a European “digital age of majority” of 15 years, with the introduction of a uniform ban on access to social media for users below this age.

– An obligation for platforms to re-verify the age every six months to ensure continued compliance and prevent circumvention of access restrictions.

– The creation of a simplified mechanism to allow Member States and the European Commission to jointly assess incidents and speed up the imposition of sanctions.

10) Timetable

– Three-month European consultation process (European Commission’s technical drafting mechanism) (TRIS) – Q2 2026

– Legislative enactment – third half of 2026

– Intensive national diplomatic effort at EU level – 2nd to 4th quarter 2026

– Aim to establish an effective European sanctioning mechanism

– Compliance period for companies – Q3 to Q4 2026

– Adaptation of platforms and technical systems to the new obligations.

– Start of ban implementation – Q1 2027