The Danish authorities is proposing a ban on a number of social media apps for under-15s, based on the nation’s prime minister.
“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen advised Denmark’s parliament on Tuesday.
“Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children’s childhood.”
Analysis printed by Denmark’s wellbeing fee earlier this yr discovered 94% of the nation’s younger individuals had a social media profile earlier than they turned 13 – regardless of that being the minimal age for a lot of social media platforms.
It additionally discovered 9 to 14-year-olds had been spending a mean of three hours a day on TikTok and YouTube.
Ms Frederiksen didn’t give particulars on how a ban could be enforced – a problem Australia is grappling with – however there may be some public help for her proposal.
In 2024, 50,000 individuals in Denmark signed a petition calling for a ban on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
Extra on On-line Security Invoice
Mother and father ought to have the ability to give permission for his or her youngsters to have accounts from the age of 13, based on Ms Frederiksen.
Earlier this yr, the Danish authorities additionally introduced it might ban cellphones in faculties and after-school golf equipment, that means that the majority youngsters aged between seven and 16-17 can be required by regulation to not deliver their telephones into faculty.
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Denmark’s restrictions comply with related strikes all over the world.
Within the UK, web and social media firms now face fines of as much as 10% of income if they permit younger customers to see dangerous content material, underneath sweeping laws the place age restrictions had been positioned on grownup content material.
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The UK authorities has additionally refused to rule out an all-out ban on under-16s on social media.
In Australia, under-16s can be banned from December, with the logistics of the ban at present being labored out.
A current research confirmed {that a} related system to the UK’s age verification might implement the ban within the nation.
In France, a parliamentary fee beneficial final month that youngsters underneath 15 must be banned from social media within the nation and there must be an in a single day “digital curfew” for 15-18 yr olds.
