The Danish government is proposing a ban on several social media apps for under-15s, according to the country’s prime minister.
“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen told Denmark‘s parliament on Tuesday.
“Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children’s childhood.”
Research published by Denmark’s wellbeing commission earlier this year found 94% of the country’s young people had a social media profile before they turned 13 – despite that being the minimum age for many social media platforms.
It also found nine to 14-year-olds were spending an average of three hours a day on TikTok and YouTube.
Ms Frederiksen did not give details on how a ban would be enforced – an issue Australia is grappling with – but there is some public support for her proposal.
In 2024, some 50,000 people in Denmark signed a petition calling for a ban on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
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Parents should be able to give permission for their children to have accounts from the age of 13, according to Ms Frederiksen.
Earlier this year, the Danish government also announced it would ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs, meaning that almost all children aged between seven and 16-17 will be required by law not to bring their phones into school.
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Denmark’s restrictions follow similar moves around the world.
In the UK, internet and social media companies now face fines of up to 10% of revenue if they allow young users to see harmful content, under sweeping legislation where age restrictions were placed on adult content.
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The UK government has also refused to rule out an all-out ban on under-16s on social media.
In Australia, under-16s will be banned from December, with the logistics of the ban currently being worked out.
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A recent study showed that a similar system to the UK’s age verification could enforce the ban in the country.
In France, a parliamentary commission recommended last month that children under 15 should be banned from social media in the country and there should be an overnight “digital curfew” for 15-18 year olds.
