Greece has begun meeting with major social media companies and given them until early December to show the technology they will use to verify users’ ages before the country’s under-15 limit takes effect on January 1, 2027.
The talks started with TikTok, and meetings will follow with Meta, Snapchat, Google and Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn. Minister of State Akis Skertsos and Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou met TikTok representatives, and both sides agreed to set up working groups immediately. Technical meetings will bring in ministry officials, the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) and the platforms to work through how the verification systems operate and what is needed to connect them to the companies’ own systems.
By early December, each platform must present a specific implementation plan and a demonstration of its proposed technology. The presentation should cover the verification method, how it applies to new and existing accounts, data protection safeguards, test results and a rollout timeline. Each company must also name a senior executive responsible for having the system ready by January 1.
The law passed last month uses a calendar-year rule, so in 2027 every child born in 2013 or later falls below the limit. The government wants real verification rather than a self-reported birth date, and the systems must identify and block underage users on both new sign-ups and existing accounts.
The age verification features of Kids Wallet and the Gov.gr Wallet were presented as available options. Platforms may choose a different solution if it is effective, proportionate and in line with data protection rules. Papastergiou said platforms using the wallets would receive only the information needed to confirm a user’s age, with no access to a name or date of birth. He also pointed to Greece’s role in the EU’s age verification solution and the plan to make it compatible with the European Digital Identity Wallet.
Another option under review would use algorithms to flag likely minors based on behavior patterns, preferences and interactions with other users, with age then confirmed through an ID document or a video call.
Greece’s law is not covered by the European Commission’s 12-month freeze on overlapping national bills, because its review period ended before the proposed EU Kids Act was unveiled. The Commission has said that exemption does not amount to approval of the Greek law.
Skertsos said the government expects every platform to explain how it will comply, calling the protection of children’s health, privacy and development a shared responsibility of governments and technology companies. Papastergiou urged the platforms to tell Greek users in good time about the changes and how verification will work.
Sources: To Vima
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
