Danish government aims to ban children under 15 from accessing social media

The Danish government on Friday announced a deal to ban under-15s from accessing social media, ratcheting up pressure on Big Tech platforms amid growing concerns that children are becoming too involved in a digital world of harmful content and commercial interests.

The move will give some parents the right to give their children access to social media from the age of 13, subject to certain assessments. It was not immediately clear how such a ban would be enforced. Many technology platforms already restrict sign-ups for pre-teens. Officials and experts say such restrictions don’t always work.

The move would be one of the most drastic steps ever taken by a European Union government to restrict social media use among teenagers and young children, but it has raised concerns in many parts of the world that are increasingly online.

Caroline Stage, Denmark’s Minister for Digital Affairs, told The Associated Press that 94% of children under 13 in Denmark have a profile on at least one social media platform, and more than half of children under 10 have a profile.

“The amount of time they spend online, the amount of violence and self-harm they are exposed to online, is too great a risk for our children,” she said, while also praising tech giants as “the greatest companies we have. They have an incredible amount of money, but they have no intention of investing in the safety of our children or the safety of all of us.”

There is no need to rush legislation and there are no loopholes for big tech companies.

Mr Stage said the ban would not take effect immediately. It is expected to take several months for lawmakers from all parties, who have a majority in Congress, to pass relevant legislation on this issue.

“I can guarantee you that Denmark will hurry, but we don’t want to rush too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulations are correct and there are no loopholes for the tech giants to slip through,” Stage said. The ministry said the pressures from the tech giants’ business models were “too great.”

This follows a move in Australia in December, when parliament enacted the world’s first social media ban for children, setting the minimum age at 16.

Platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were subject to fines of up to A$50 million ($33 million) for system flaws that prevented children under 16 from holding accounts.

Danish authorities did not say how such a ban would be enforced in a world where millions of children have easy access to screens. But Stage pointed out that Denmark has a national electronic ID system, almost all Danish citizens over the age of 13 have such an ID, and there are plans to launch an age verification app. Several other EU countries are testing such apps.

“We can’t force the tech giants to use our apps, but what we can do is force the tech giants to do proper age verification. If they don’t comply, we can enforce it through the EU Commission and make sure they face fines of up to 6% of global revenue.”

Aims to protect children from harmful content online

Many governments are grappling with ways to limit the harmful effects of online technologies without overly contradicting their promises. Mr Stage said Denmark’s legislative push was “not to exclude children from all digital content”, but to keep children away from harmful content.

China, which manufactures many of the world’s digital devices, has set limits on how much time children can play online and use smartphones.

Paris prosecutors announced this week that they would investigate allegations that TikTok allows suicidal content and that its algorithms may be encouraging vulnerable young people to commit suicide.

“Children and young people are experiencing disrupted sleep, loss of peace and concentration, and increased pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” Denmark’s Ministry of Health said. “This is a development that no parent, teacher, or educator can stop alone.”

The EU’s digital services law, which came into force two years ago, prohibits children under 13 from having accounts on social media such as TikTok and Instagram, video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, sites such as Reddit and Discord, and even AI companions.

Many social media platforms have for years prohibited anyone under the age of 13 from signing up for their services. TikTok users can verify their age by submitting a selfie, which is then analyzed to estimate their age. Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, says it uses a similar system for selfie videos and AI to figure out a user’s age.

TikTok said in an email that it recognizes the importance of Denmark’s efforts.

“TikTok has steadily built a strong track record of trust and safety, with over 50 preset safety features for teen accounts, age-appropriate experiences, and tools like Family Pairing for parents.” A tool that allows parents, guardians, and teens to customize safety settings.

We look forward to working constructively on solutions that are applied consistently across the industry.”

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

“We’ve given the big tech companies many opportunities to stand up and do something about what’s happening on their platforms, and they haven’t done it,” Denmark’s Stage Minister said. “So now we take over the wheel and make sure our children’s future is secure.”

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