The Greek government launched the "Kids Wallet" app, enabling parents to monitor children's screen time, verify their age on digital platforms, and set access restrictions. The app aims to protect children online and is part of broader efforts to curb youth crime and enhance online safety in line with EU initiatives.

The Greek government launched a state-operated mobile application called "Kids Wallet" on Monday. This new app allows parents to monitor their children's screen time and verify their age on digital platforms and social networks.

Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou introduced the app in Athens, emphasizing its importance. "We are giving parents a powerful tool to protect their children online," he stated. Papastergiou further explained, "This is an application that Greece — and Europe — needs to confirm children's ages when they use social media." He also noted that the app would serve as an identification tool for future initiatives.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his support for the initiative and voiced concerns about the effects of technology on family life. "You see families in restaurants where parents and children are all on their phones, and you wonder when they actually talk to each other," he said.

The app’s functionality includes setting the age at which parental consent is no longer required, which has been determined as 15 years old. Additionally, using the application is voluntary.

Although similar tools for limiting screen time have been available commercially for decades, it is rare for governments to step in and provide their own digital solutions. For instance, in November, the Australian parliament passed legislation restricting social media access for children and teenagers, limiting it to those aged 16 or older.

The "Kids Wallet" app is integrated with the government’s existing services platform, which is already widely used for tasks like paying taxes and handling bureaucracy. It also works with existing digital identification systems for adults.

To begin using the app, parents must download "Kids Wallet" on their child's phone and create a parent-child account using their online tax identification credentials. Once logged in, they can select which apps and websites their child is allowed to access and set daily time limits for their use.

Parents can confirm their child’s age by uploading necessary documents obtained through their account on the official state services platform. This process creates a "digital identity" for the minor.

While the app does not allow parents to read their children's messages, it does enable them to establish restrictions and view general information about their child's internet use, such as daily online activity time.

Greek officials have reached out to major digital companies for cooperation in promoting and rolling out the app. Minister Papastergiou called for collaboration, stating, "Dear platforms, we ask for your cooperation so that together we can protect children at a vulnerable age."

A 2024 survey conducted by the Greek research organization KMOP revealed that 76.6% of children aged 9 to 12 have access to the internet through personal devices, 58.6% use social media daily, and 22.8% have encountered inappropriate content online.

The launch of the "Kids Wallet" app is part of a broader government initiative to reduce youth crime and is in line with European Union plans to enhance online protection for minors.