At the opening of the Danish parliament, Prime Minister Frederiksen proposed banning social media for children under 15, saying the government hopes the measure could take effect as early as next year.
Frederiksen cited figures showing that 60 percent of boys aged 11 to 19 did not see a single friend in their free time and that 94 percent of children have accounts on social media before the age of thirteen. “Phones steal their childhood,” Frederiksen said.
She told colleagues many children also struggle with reading and writing and that children and young people see things online that they “should never see.” Frederiksen said, “We have unleashed a monster.” “Never before have so many children and young people suffered from anxiety and depression,” she added.
It is not yet clear which social media the ban would apply to. Frederiksen spoke of “various” platforms. She said parents would be allowed to give their children as young as 13 years old permission to use social media.
Danish Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage called the announcement a “breakthrough.” She said digital platforms had never been concerned with the “welfare of children” and that the community had been “naive.”
The government said it hopes the ban can take effect as early as next year. Denmark is following the example of Australia, which recently introduced a ban on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for children under 16. Norway also wants a ban on social media up to age 15.
