Greece will fine social media platforms that fail to keep children under 15 off their services, Minister of State Akis Skertsos has said, adding the penalty could theoretically reach tens of billions of dollars.
Mr. Skertsos told Alpha 98.9 radio he is optimistic the platforms will comply, but that if they do not, the penalties set in European Union law will apply.
Those fines can reach 6% of a company's annual global turnover. He said the three largest tech firms that run platforms have a combined annual turnover of $800 billion, so 6% would be $48 billion.
That is a legal ceiling, not a likely penalty.
He said Greece is acting in step with Brussels and "not on our own."
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue at the U.N. General Assembly about two years ago, he said, which pushed the European Commission to announce EU measures in September.
The Greek ban, due to start Jan. 1, 2027, relies on the government's Kids Wallet app to verify ages without revealing birth dates to platforms.
On the cost of living, Mr. Skertsos said support measures are not new but date from the spring, when the Gulf crisis began.
He said oil prices have risen about 45% since the war started, while in Greece the rise has been about 25% because of government measures.
Those figures are his own. He said Greece is one of few EU countries able to spend on supporting incomes, within fiscal limits, "so that what we give doesn't mortgage our future."
Asked about opposition criticism that the aid is too little, he conceded the situation is "dynamic and unpredictable."
He accused opposition parties claiming they can end the energy crisis "with a stroke of the pen" of "essentially lying."
Mr. Mitsotakis faces elections next year.