Greece to restrict social media access for minors under 15

At the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), Dimitris Papastergiou, the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, announced government priorities regarding the protection of minors online. A key initiative involves restricting social media access for children under the age of 15.

The government intends to shift the responsibility of age verification to the digital platforms themselves. If a platform identifies an account belonging to a minor, it must terminate access. To address the current inability of platforms to accurately verify user ages, the government is introducing the ‘Kids Wallet’ as a strategic solution.

Additionally, the Minister discussed the evolution of the gov.gr portal, noting that increased interoperability between approximately 800 public sector registries will soon allow citizens to access services without needing to provide digital certificates that the state already possesses. He also addressed the ongoing threat of cyberattacks against public institutions.