Athens is stepping up enforcement preparations for a landmark social media restriction that will bar children younger than 15 from using mainstream social networks, the government confirmed as it moves from policy design into implementation and regulatory oversight. Ministers say the measure, already announced earlier this year, is now at a stage where platforms will be required to deploy credible age verification systems and to reverify existing accounts used in Greece. The government has identified the technical tools it expects to be compatible with the forthcoming rules and has named the national authorities that will supervise compliance. Why the policy is moving from idea to action Officials frame the policy as a public health and child protection intervention, intended to reduce the documented risks of excessive social media use for children, including digital addiction and exposure to harmful content. The government also points to work at European level on harmonised approaches to age assurance as part of the Digital Services Act and related guidance. In public statements and technical briefings, ministers and officials have emphasised three connected objectives. First, to set a clear minimum age for mainstream social networks, under which access will be blocked. Second, to require platforms to implement noncircumventable age verification that is privacy preserving and meets standards set by European guidance. Third, to create oversight and enforcement powers for national regulators so breaches can be pursued under the EU regulatory framework. What platforms will need to do Greek authorities say platforms that offer social networking features will have primary responsibility for enforcing the ban. That includes services where users create profiles, share content, and interact publicly. Platforms will be expected to: install and operate age assurance mechanisms that reliably verify user age; carry out periodic reverification of accounts; and block access for accounts that are identified as belonging to users below the 15 year threshold. The government has put forward two example mechanisms that meet its standards, the national Gov.gr Wallet and a KidsWallet application, while insisting no single technology will be mandated. Officials stress the approach should remain technology neutral, and that solutions must comply with privacy and data protection rules. How enforcement and oversight will work Regulators will not directly collect or centrally store children’s data, ministers say. Instead the plan relies on a supervision model where Greece’s telecoms regulator and data protection authority will monitor platform compliance, and where reported breaches are handled through the EU level enforcement architecture for digital services. National authorities will be able to open investigations and escalate noncompliance under the Digital Services Act and other applicable rules. Authorities have also signalled an operational detail that will shape rollout: existing accounts in Greece will be subject to reverification. Platforms are expected to undertake a process to recheck the ages attached to accounts registered in the country so that accounts wrongly claiming a higher age can be blocked before the ban takes effect. Timeline and international context The government’s timetable aims for implementation to begin on January 1, 2027. That date aligns with related EU workstreams on age assurance and the roll out of the European Digital Identity Wallet, which Athens and other capitals view as an eventual interoperable verification option. Greece is not acting in isolation. Governments across Europe and beyond have introduced or are considering age limits and verification measures for social media. Greece has pointed to decisions in France and Australia among the policy precedents that influenced its direction. At the same time, the Greek plan has drawn scrutiny from privacy advocates, digital rights groups and some independent experts who say age verification systems must avoid intrusive identity checks and protect children’s personal data. Why this matters If implemented as described, Greece’s policy will be one of the more assertive national moves to restrict minors from mainstream social media, and it will test how national regulators and platforms operationalise age assurance without undermining privacy. The reverification requirement in particular raises immediate compliance challenges for major platforms, which must ensure large scale checks can be completed quickly while remaining accurate and privacy protective. The measure is also politically significant in Athens. Ministers have used it to demonstrate an active approach to child safety and digital governance. For platforms, the immediate task will be to show they can meet the government’s technical and procedural expectations and to resolve any tensions between age checks, data protection, and user experience. What to watch next In the coming weeks monitor three things closely: whether platforms announce specific technical implementations and timelines for reverification in Greece; whether national regulators publish formal compliance guidance and enforcement rules; and whether privacy and child protection groups publish assessments of proposed verification methods. How those three actors align will determine whether the January 1, 2027 date is feasible in practice and how intrusive the verification systems become. The Greek approach will also be watched across Europe. Success or failure in implementing a workable, privacy preserving verification system could influence other EU states drafting their own rules or relying on Europeanlevel tools to protect minors online.