Denmark will ban children under 15 from using social networks

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen used her recent Folketing speech to announce plans to ban children under 15 from using social media, a move that has attracted global attention.

“We have unleashed a monster,” she warned in her speech. Frederiksen said that never before have so many children and teenagers faced anxiety, depression and lack of concentration, as social media and smartphones dominate almost their entire lives.

“On screens, children are exposed to things that no child or young person should see,” she stressed. While she did not specify which platforms would be banned, the Prime Minister said the ban would apply to “a number” of popular social networks, while also opening up the option for parents to grant access to their children from the age of 13. If approved, the policy could come into effect as early as next year.

Denmark is not the first country to tighten social media controls on children. Australia has begun implementing a ban on under-16s accessing platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, while Norway is considering raising the minimum age limit from 13 to 15. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has called it “an uphill battle,” but stressed that governments need to protect children from the manipulative power of algorithms.

Denmark’s Digital Minister Caroline Stage called the move “a necessary breakthrough.” “We have been naive in allowing children’s digital lives to be controlled by platforms that do not care about their mental health,” she said. “It is time to move from digital confinement to a healthier community.”

According to figures cited by Prime Minister Frederiksen, 60% of Danish children aged 11 to 19 have no close friends to meet in real life, while 94% of seventh graders have social media accounts before the age of 13. “Mobile phones and social media are stealing children’s childhood,” she warned.

The announcement comes shortly after the Danish government banned the use of mobile phones in all schools and extracurricular clubs, following recommendations from the National Welfare Board, which said children under 13 should not own their own smartphones or tablets.

Denmark's move reflects a growing trend globally: governments are rethinking children's access to social media.

In June, Greece called on the European Union to set a “digital adulthood” age, aimed at preventing children from using social media without parental consent – ​​an effort that reflects growing concerns about the impact of the online environment on the mental health of young people./.