The Greek initiative to introduce a unified digital age of majority has received strong backing from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. In a recent statement, Meta announced its support for Greece’s proposal, which centers around implementing automatic digital age verification for young users. This model is already integrated into the Greek-developed Kids Wallet app, and Meta has expressed willingness to adopt this age verification system across the European Union.
This marks one of the first times a major tech company has clearly taken a stance in favor of protecting minors online by endorsing Greece’s plan aimed at shielding children from harmful content and digital addiction.
The non-paper presented by Greece’s Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papadopoulos, outlines several measures including mandatory age verification mechanisms for access to digital services and the definition of a digital age of majority. The document, co-signed by France, Spain, Denmark, Cyprus, Slovenia, and Italy, and supported in part by several other EU nations, was introduced during the Telecommunications Ministers’ Council held in Luxembourg on June 6.
In a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA), a Meta spokesperson said: ‘Today we announce our support for a Digital Age of Majority, under which parents must approve younger teens’ access to digital services, including social media. We believe that a Digital Age of Majority across the EU could be an effective solution to the challenge facing the entire industry — ensuring safe, age-appropriate online experiences for teenagers. This should be based on key principles such as parental consent, consistency across services, and a robust age verification mechanism at the app store or operating system level.’
Claudia Trivellino, Meta’s Public Policy Director for Italy, Greece, and Malta, praised Greece’s leadership role in shaping the EU-level discussions around youth safety online and the process leading to the informal document titled ‘Protecting Minors from Online Harms and Risks.’ She added that Meta supports calls for the European Commission to implement mandatory age verification measures across all digital services used by teenagers to ensure a safer online environment.
Greek Minister Papadopoulos emphasized that Greece moved quickly to launch the National Strategy to combat youth internet addiction, followed by the development of Kids Wallet with parental control and age verification features. He also noted that the country took the lead in drafting the non-paper promoting a uniform digital age of majority and standardized age verification methods. The proposal gained support from 13 EU member states, and the European Commission announced plans to roll out a European mini wallet with age verification capabilities this summer.
‘The fact that one of the biggest players in the tech industry is following the right approach and aligning itself first with the establishment of digital adulthood and age verification is extremely significant,’ Papadopoulos concluded. ‘It opens new pathways for an actionable European policy to protect minors in the digital world and sets an example for other tech companies. We will continue with strategy, collaboration, and persistence because our children’s safety is not negotiable.’