The Danish government has decided to ban the use of social media for children under the age of 15. The move is aimed at protecting the mental health of young people and countering the negative impact of digital platforms, which the government says are “stealing childhood”. This was stated in an official statement by the Danish Ministry of Digitalization.
The ban was a response to a call by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who expressed deep concern about the state of mental health among young people in a speech to parliament last month. The restriction applies to all children up to the age of 15, but parents will have the right to make exceptions and allow the use of certain platforms from the age of 13.
“So-called social networks are thriving, stealing our children’s time, childhood and well-being, and we are stopping it now,”, said Digital Minister Carolina Stage Olsen.
Most parties in the Danish parliament have already expressed support for the initiative ahead of the official vote. According to the government, the most popular platforms among children in Denmark are Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. According to an analysis conducted in February, young people in the country spend an average of 2 hours and 40 minutes a day on social networks.
In addition to age restrictions, the Danish government has identified five key areas for protecting children in the digital space. These include strengthening control over the activities of technology companies and forming an active position of Denmark at the European Union level.
Thus, Denmark joins countries that have already introduced similar measures. In particular, Australia last year banned social networks for children under 16, and in France in 2023 they proposed restrictions for users under 15 with the possibility of parental consent. In the US, there is no complete ban, but the collection of data of children under 13 is allowed only with parental consent.
