Better Internet for Kids

Here, we take an in-depth look at the latest monitoring information for Greece.

The BIK+ strategy continues to guide the policies developed by the Greek Safer Internet Centre, which maintains a close collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, the Ministry of Digital Governance and the Ministry of Citizens' Protection. Additionally, the Greek SIC's educational material and activities for the promotion of safe use of the internet by minors continue to be released under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.

BIK policies

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

Policy frameworks

Policy frameworks describe the overarching approach for a better internet, and establish the underlying goals, principles and guidelines that shape individual policies within this area.

In Greece:

• This topic is an important and emerging policy priority, with children’s online protection, digital empowerment, and digital participation partially covered in national/regional laws, regulations and policies.
• There are separate, dedicated policies which address children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• The BIK+ strategy is an important influence on policy development on children and the digital environment that informs and guides national policies, even if they do not directly refer to BIK+.
• Children’s rights in the digital environment are not explicitly recognised in national policy documents but receive implicit support in policies dealing with children’s digital activity.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key national policy frameworks in Greece.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy design

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

• Quantitative data on some aspects of children’s digital activity is collected regularly as part of broader surveys.
• Surveys of children’s experiences of risks, harms and digital well-being are undertaken on an ad-hoc and irregular basis.
• Information is regularly gathered to inform policies on children and the digital environment. However, this relies primarily on third-party sources, and there are limited opportunities to commission new data on children’s digital activity.
• Regarding research funding, there are occasional special initiatives to gather evidence about children and the digital environment.
• Policies are monitored and evaluated, but not systematically.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on recent national research studies in Greece.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy governance

Policy governance examines how policies are coordinated at the governmental level, whether other implementation bodies are involved in their delivery, and whether structured mechanisms are available to guide their implementation. 

• Policy development sits across different ministries with leadership distributed according to the area of specialisation.
• Coordination happens more informally across the different departments and entities that contribute to government policies, guidelines, and programmes regarding children and the digital environment.
• One or more programmes of action are underway supporting children’s online safety and participation in the digital environment. However, these lack accountability, such as defined timelines, assigned responsibilities or key performance indicators (KPIs).

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key policy governance mechanisms in Greece.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires how different stakeholders can participate in policy development. Children’s involvement in policy-making is one such key issue. Additionally, international knowledge exchange about children’s digital participation is also relevant to this topic.

• There are occasional opportunities for different stakeholders to participate in policy development, but this is infrequent.
• Public consultation on policy development is infrequent and irregular.
• Children are listened to directly in the policy development process (e.g., through hearings, consultations, specific surveys) but are not formally involved in decision-making.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on crucial stakeholder involvement mechanisms in Greece.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ actions

Pillar 1 – safe digital experiences

Safe digital experiences refers to actions taken to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact, and risks as young consumers and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment created in a way that respects children’s best interests.

Implementing EU laws

• Directive (EU) 2018/1808 (Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD)) has officially been transferred to the Greek legislation by Act 4779/2021. Especially, Article 28 of the AVMSD has been transferred by Article 32 of Act 4779/2021.
• On 5 April 2024, the Greek Parliament adopted Law 5099/2024 (the law) for the implementation of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) in Greece. The law designates the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) as the Digital Services Coordinator in Greece. Other competent authorities responsible for supervising intermediary service providers and enforcing the DSA in Greece are the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV) and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA).
• ‘Trusted Flagger’ status has been granted to SafeLine.gr, with which it is already in close collaboration for the exchange of expertise and the necessary DSA reports regarding the actions taken by the Trusted Flagger to inform the respective online platforms about illegal content. 

Harmful online content

• The term ‘harmful online content’ is specified in the Greek Act 4779/2021 as the content that “may impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors”. The strictest categories of harmful online content that are mentioned in the above Act are gratuitous violence and pornography.
• In Greece, SafeLine, the national hotline, can ask Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to remove illegal content from the internet. The Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission has established a system of safeguards with the aim of enabling immediate intervention, upon requests from the Public Prosecutor, regarding the blocking of access to domain names and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses due to illegal activities. 

Harmful online conduct

• Article 346 of the Greek Penal Code covers the protection of children and young people from intimate image abuse or ‘the non-consensual sharing of intimate images’. The Greek SIC, through its axis of SafeLine, participates in the implementation of the STOPNCII tool and the Take It Down tool, which both aim to fight the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
• The term ‘cyberbullying’ is not explicitly covered in Greek legislation. However, it can be addressed under other categories of illegal conduct, e.g. personal data violation, defamation, etc. When young people are victims of cyberbullying, they can submit their reports and contact the Greek SIC Helpline for psychological support. From a legal point of view, a victim of cyberbullying can submit a report to SafeLine, the Greek hotline against illegal internet content /activities, or the Cyber Crime Unit of the Greek Police.
• A government initiative for the creation of a special platform for reporting incidents of school violence and bullying has been launched. The reports submitted reach the corresponding school unit, and a four-member action team from the Education Directorate, where specialised educators and psychologists address each incident in collaboration with the responsible authorities. 

Age verification

• The National Strategy for the Protection of Minors from Internet Addiction includes provisions for the Kids Wallet, an application set to launch in the upcoming spring, which will allow for age verification of the user. The goal is for the Kids Wallet to become the means of age verification at a national level. 

Commercial content

• The Greek Advertising and Marketing Communications Code is based on the Advertising and Marketing Communications Code of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which is applied internationally. The code was developed by the Communications Control Council, the competent body for self-regulation in the advertising market. This 2023 edition of the code sets out the rules that must be followed by all those involved in advertising and marketing, including advertisers, advertisers' agents, advertising media, content creators, influencers, bloggers, vloggers, etc. The code includes relevant references to advertising communications aimed at children. 

Mental health and well-being

• The Greek SIC's Helpline is aimed at children, teenagers, and their families, providing support and advice on issues related to the use of the internet, mobile phones, and electronic games (harassment, addiction, harmful content, etc.).
• The Centre for the Treatment of Addicted Individuals in Greece has created programmes for teenagers and young adults that provide support for internet and video game addiction. The aim of these programmes is to reduce the time spent in front of the computer and help young people cope with the challenges and difficulties of their age. The programmes offer, among others, Individual and group counselling, psychotherapy, supportive self-help groups and family meetings. 

Pillar 2 – digital empowerment

Digital empowerment incorporates actions so that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, acquire the necessary skills and competences to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.

Supports for online safety education

• Although online safety is not officially part of the Greek school curriculum, it is important to mention that educational material under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports is developed continuously by the Greek SIC.
• The Greek SIC's educational material can also be found on the platform Dexiotites 21+ (Skills 21+), where the Ministry offers a pool of resources to all educators in the country. Teachers usually use this material to transfer knowledge to the classroom.
• A circular addressed to all involved parties (Regional Education Directorates, school advisors, schools, etc.) by the Ministry of Education prohibits the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices by children in both primary and secondary education. At the same time, the circular emphasises that the posting of photos and videos featuring students on the school websites is only allowed when there is written parental consent.
• The Greek SIC has created and published new digital material for each educational level, which can be used as a ‘tool’ both in the classroom and at home. The ‘Back to School Package 2023-2024’ focuses on digital citizenship, the rights and responsibilities of children on the internet, as well as the changes that the Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to promote.  

Digital literacy skills to empower young people

• On the occasion of the celebration of Safer Internet Day 2025, the Greek SIC of the Foundation for Research and Technology announced a nationwide student competition with different topics for Primary and Secondary education. The topic of the competition for Primary school students is: ‘Say NO to Cyberbullying: Learn, Protect, Support!’ and for Secondary school students, ‘Social Networks: Protecting Ourselves and Our Friends.’
• Primary school students, either individually or in groups, were invited to create material related to the forms of cyberbullying, self-protection measures, and the management options available to someone, whether they are a victim or a witness of an incident.
• The Youth Panel of the Greek SIC has also published the fifth version of the magazine ‘Digizens!’, which is a magazine designed by young people and targeted at young people.

Pillar 3 – active participation, respecting children’s rights

Active participation, respecting children’s rights, refers to actions which give children and young people a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.

Active participation

• The Greek SIC's National Student Competitions. For instance, on the occasion of the celebration of Safer Internet Day 2024, the Greek SIC announced a nationwide student competition with the theme ‘Capture the Flag – Cybersecurity Competition’. The competition is supported by the National Cybersecurity Authority of the Ministry of Digital Governance as an initiative that will contribute to efforts to attract young people to the field of Cybersecurity and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Governance. The competition is also under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports. 

• The Youth Panel of the SIC has also been involved in pan-European events, such as training meetings of the Insafe organisation and in online events for the celebration of Safer Internet Day 2025.

Supporting children’s rights

• The initiative ‘Digital Citizenship for Children’ is an extracurricular educational programme aiming to develop children's ability to become active and responsible Digital Citizens. It is a comprehensive programme that provides parents with the appropriate tools to help them approach the topic of Digital Citizenship correctly and thoroughly, based on their child's age. The programme focuses on fostering critical thinking regarding the use of digital platforms, developing responsibility concerning the rights and duties arising from the use of digital tools, and teaching practices that ensure safety in the digital world. The Ministry of Digital Governance developed this programme in collaboration with the Department of Primary Education/Pedagogical Institute of the University of Crete. 

Digital inclusion

• The Greek SIC joined forces with UNICEF Hellas, with the support of the Ministry of Education's Autonomous Department for Coordination and Monitoring of Refugee Education, to implement an action plan aimed at promoting online safety and digital citizenship education for migrant and refugee children living in Greece, as well as their families. Specifically, as part of the ‘Back to School 2023’ campaign, the Greek SIC, in collaboration with UNICEF, translated part of its informational and educational material into the most widely spoken languages among migrant and refugee children in Greece: Persian, Arabic, French, and English. The material includes informational leaflets on almost all topics related to safe internet use, such as cyberbullying, online grooming and exploitation, fake news, safety on social networks, excessive internet use, etc. It also includes stories for young children with messages about safe internet use and a manual for safe online navigation. 

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for some best practice examples from Greece.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ index 2025: Greece

The BIK+ index has been developed to provide an aggregated at-a-glance overview of the levels of implementation across the two dimensions, BIK policies and BIK+ actions, in Greece compared to the EU27+2 average. Values are shown in per cent.

Please note, the data used in this page and the corresponding country profile was collected in February 2025.