Greece has submitted a bill to Parliament that would restrict social media access for children below an age threshold of 15 and require reliable age verification. Gov.gr Wallet and Kids Wallet are identified as possible verification tools, alongside equivalent solutions that comply with European Union requirements.
The bill was submitted on Friday evening and is scheduled for examination by the relevant parliamentary committee on Tuesday, October 13. Minister of State Akis Skertsos said the government expects a parliamentary vote on October 22, with the restrictions intended to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The proposal covers existing accounts as well as new ones. Parental consent would not override the age restriction, and the Greek measure does not provide for special restricted accounts for children aged 13 to 15.
The age calculation would use calendar birth years rather than individual birthdays. For the planned January 2027 start, children born in 2013 or later would fall below the threshold, while those born in 2012 would be treated as having reached 15.
Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said Kids Wallet would provide platforms with a flag indicating whether a user is above or below the threshold, rather than their date of birth. Where a platform cannot establish age with certainty, he described a QR-code flow that users would scan with Kids Wallet.
The bill’s accompanying framework treats the government wallets as examples, not an exclusive verification method. It allows other equivalent age-assurance solutions and does not introduce a universal requirement for every user to disclose their identity to a platform.
Supervision would involve the National Council for Radio and Television and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority within their respective responsibilities. The proposal operates within Greece’s existing Digital Services Act framework.
Greece already uses QR-based digital age checks for alcohol and tobacco sales. That system lets sellers confirm whether a customer meets the required age without receiving unnecessary personal information.
The country also participated in the European Commission’s five-country age-verification pilot, which developed a wallet-based approach to proving an age threshold without disclosing personal identity data. The new Greek bill would apply age checks to social networking access.
Sources: Naftemporiki, ProtoThema
–
By the ID Tech Editorial Team
