The Danish government wants to introduce a ban on several social media platforms for children under the age of 15, as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Tuesday.
“Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children’s childhood,” she said in her opening speech to the Danish parliament, the Folketing.
“We have unleashed a monster,” Frederiksen said, noting that almost all Danish seventh graders, where pupils are typically 13 or 14 years old, own a cellphone.
“I hope that you here in the chamber will help tighten the law so that we take better care of our children here in Denmark,” she added.
However, Frederiksen did not give further details on what such a ban would entail, nor does a bill on an age limit appear in the government’s legislative program for the upcoming parliamentary year.
A 2024 Danish citizen’s initiative, which gathered 50,000 signatures, called for a ban on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
However, Frederiksen said parents should be able to give permission for accounts to their children from the age of 13.
Frederiksen’s announcement did not come as a total surprise. The Social Democrat has previously expressed support for a social media ban for under-15s. The Danish government is also pushing the EU to require tech firms to verify users’ age online.
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