Five weeks after Greek government announcement on the imposition of a ban on access to social media for children under 15 years of age, 25 organizations from Greece and abroad rushed to raise their voices. In an open letter submitted on May 19, 2026 and addressed to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and four relevant ministers, the signatory organizations — among them the Network for the Rights of the Child, Amnesty International Greece, the Hellenic Union for Human Rights, Homo Digitalis. the Open Technologies Organization – EELLAK and the European Digital Rights (EDRi) — submit ten documented concerns about the legislative initiative.
What the Draft Law Provides
The proposal, announced on 8 April 2026 and published on the European Commission's TRIS platform on 12 May, prohibits children under 15 from accessing online social networking services. To implement the measure, platforms will be required to verify the age of their users through tools such as Gov.gr Wallet or Kids Wallet, with an implementation schedule starting from January 2027.
Ten Reasons for Concern
1. The measure concerns everyone, not just children
According to the letter, the age re-verification will apply to all accounts in Greece, regardless of age. This means that platforms will be required to use age profiling algorithms — a practice that until now belonged to the realm of commercial data exploitation. The legislation, as noted, upgrades this practice to an institutional obligation, jeopardizing online anonymity for all citizens.
2. Expert opinion was ignored
In March 2026, the Mental Health Committee of the Central Health Council (KESY) delivered a documented recommendation, approved unanimously, under the distinguished Dr. Argyris Strigaris. The recommendation concluded that no causal link has been proven between social media use and mental health in the general population of children, and recommended targeted rather than generalized measures. This recommendation was allegedly not even taken into account when the measure was announced.
3. No consultation, no child participation
The measure was not accompanied by public consultation, nor by the participation of experts, academics, civil society — and most importantly, children themselves, as required by Article 12 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Unlike the United Kingdom, where the corresponding process involves months of transparent consultation with all parties involved, the Greek government reportedly proceeded without these necessary steps.
4. Social exclusion
Age verification tools require a modern smartphone and digital skills — especially on the part of parents. Families without such devices or skills, as well as people without identity documents (such as refugees and migrants), risk being excluded from basic means of communication. This may constitute indirect discrimination in violation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
5. Violation of fundamental rights of children
Restricting minors' access to the internet could be in conflict with Articles 13 and 15 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (freedom of expression and assembly) as well as Articles 11 and 12 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Greek Youth Council (ESYN) has already aligned young people against the ban, calling for empowerment instead of control.
6. Children will find workarounds — and expose themselves to greater risks
More than 400 academics and computer scientists from 30+ countries point out that age verification mechanisms are easily bypassed via VPNs. At the same time, children who violate the ban are less likely to report abusive or dangerous experiences, fearing to reveal their “irregular” presence.
7. Contradictory and unclear announcements
The letter highlights a series of contradictions: the Ministry of Health announced full harmonisation with European law, while admitting that time is needed to examine compatibility. Also, the Minister of Digital Governance has publicly stated that there will be no obligation to use Kids Wallet, while the draft law posted on TRIS explicitly refers to the tool.
8. Serious issues of compatibility with European law
The measure could conflict with both the Digital Services Regulation (DSA) and the e-commerce Directive 2000/31. The basic model of the DSA does not prohibit age-based user categories, but rather requires platforms to manage systemic risks. Similar concerns have been raised by lawmakers in France and Germany.
9. Cybersecurity gaps
A critical vulnerability was recently revealed in the Gov.gr Wallet that remained unpatched for more than six months. A few hours after the announcement of the corresponding European implementation, experts highlighted serious design flaws. The letter calls for an independent security audit before any mandatory implementation.
10. There are better alternatives
The signatories do not deny the need to protect children online. However, they propose targeted interventions: strengthening digital literacy in schools, awareness campaigns for parents, regulating the addictive business models of platforms, and utilizing — not imposing — parental control tools with children's consent.
What They Want
The 25 organizations are demanding four things: organizing an open consultation, making the KESY recommendation public, officially informing about any other expert recommendations, and — most importantly — legislation that would oblige platforms to redesign their exploitative business models to make them safe for all users, regardless of age.
Banning entry does not mean banning harm. If social media is dangerous, the solution is not to exclude children — it is to make social media less dangerous. The open letter from 25 organizations asks exactly that question of the government: is it ready to listen?
Read the full letter here
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
