Greece has submitted a bill to Parliament that would restrict social media access to users aged 15 and older, with phone-based credentials such as Kids Wallet available to prove that a user meets the age threshold.
The government plans to introduce the restrictions on January 1, 2027, subject to the bill’s passage. The proposal is scheduled for parliamentary committee consideration on October 13, with Minister of State Akis Skertsos expecting a vote on October 22.
Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou described a process in which a platform would generate a QR code when it cannot establish a user’s age with certainty. The user would scan that code using Kids Wallet, a mobile application supporting age verification and parental controls.
Papastergiou said the wallet would return only an indication of whether the user is above or below 15, rather than sharing a date of birth. Users would not generally need to send identity documents directly to social media companies to complete the check.
Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet, Greece’s government digital credential app, are examples of acceptable tools rather than the exclusive verification methods. The bill allows equivalent solutions that satisfy European Union legal requirements, while requiring platforms to use appropriate, proportionate and reliable age checks.
The restrictions would also cover accounts created before the rules take effect. Parental permission would not override the minimum age, and the proposal does not create a separate restricted-account option for children aged 13 to 15.
The bill uses a calendar-year rule for the threshold: children born in 2012 or earlier would qualify from January 1, 2027, rather than waiting for their individual birthdays. Children born in 2013 would reach the threshold under the legislation from January 1, 2028.
Greece has already introduced QR-based age verification for alcohol and tobacco sales using its digital identity infrastructure. The social media proposal would extend wallet-supported proof of age to access checks for online platforms, with supervision assigned to the National Council for Radio and Television and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority within their respective responsibilities.
Sources: Naftemporiki, Proto Thema
–
By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.
