Starting this October, Greece will introduce one of the strictest frameworks in Europe to protect minors online. Children under 15 will be automatically blocked from accessing social media, while those under 18 will face restrictions on gambling sites, tobacco, alcohol, and adult platforms.
The core of the Greek government’s initiative revolves around leveraging age verification technology integrated with a state-backed digital system. This domestic solution, which differs operationally from the Australian model it draws inspiration from, focuses on device-level control.
Government sources indicate that the personal data of minors, which is already registered in the national Kids Wallet application, will be used to automatically block and remove access to restricted platforms from search results or direct attempts. The plan is technically ready for implementation by the end of October.
Initially, the restriction targets social media access for children under 15 years old. Furthermore, the filtering mechanism will extend to block access for minors under 18 years old from platforms and websites related to online betting, online gambling, the sale of tobacco and alcohol products, and naturally, explicit content or dating sites like Tinder.
This filtering will be managed by the Kids Wallet application on the minor’s device, ensuring that access is limited regardless of whether a user attempts to log in or simply browse as an external visitor.
