In brief
On 12 Nov 2026, Greek ministers met with Meta, TikTok and Microsoft to set up age‑verification mechanisms ahead of a new law banning social‑media use by children under 15. The law, passed by Parliament on 23 Oct, will prohibit all Greek users born before 1 Jan 2013 and imposes no parental exemptions. Platforms are required to present plans by December, with a meeting with Google slated for Friday.
Greek Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou and State Minister Akis Skertsos held a meeting with representatives from Meta Platforms, TikTok and Microsoft on Thursday, 12 November, to set the framework for a forthcoming ban on social‑media use by children under 15. The discussions came after Parliament approved the law on 23 October and will take effect on 1 January 2027.
According to a Greek government statement released through the news outlet BTA, the goal of the talks is for platforms to “design and present reliable age verification mechanisms that they will put into effect from January 1.” The platforms were asked to submit a detailed plan by the beginning of December.
“The aim is for platforms to design and present reliable age verification mechanisms that they will put into effect from January 1.”
In the statement, officials also noted that the new law will prohibit every Greek citizen born before 1 January 2013 from accessing any social‑media platform, and that no parental approval will serve as an exemption. The law makes the platforms themselves responsible for any breaches, not the children or their parents.
Earlier in November, Greek officials had already met with TikTok and Microsoft. A separate meeting with Google officials is scheduled for Friday, according to an eKathimerini report that corroborates the BTA coverage.
Parliament’s ruling was based on research cited by the government that more than half of first‑year high‑school students had begun using social media at ages 10‑12, with one in four feeling that they used it excessively and one in five reporting feeling insecure when denied phone access. These findings underscored the urgency of the law, which applies to all children born in Greece from 1 January 2013 and includes those who already have social‑media accounts.
