Denmark: Age restriction for social media

In Denmark, a minimum legal age for using social media is expected to be set by law.

The government in Copenhagen agreed with the other parties represented in parliament to set a country-wide age limit of 15 for allowing the use of certain social media platforms.

However, parents will be given the opportunity to allow their children to register on these networks from the age of 13.

The Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs said the legislation aims to better protect children and young people in the digital world. The aim of the measure is to give children more time for rest, play and development before they create profiles on social networks that carry certain risks.

Still unclear which platforms we are talking about

The political agreement does not specify when and how the plans will be implemented. It is also unclear which social media platforms will be affected. The agreement says only that the law will impose restrictions on the largest platforms, on which users can create public profiles and which are clearly associated with risks for children and young people. “Children and young people suffer from sleep disorders, lose their ability to relax and concentrate and are increasingly under pressure from digital relationships in which adults are not always present,” the statement said. This development cannot be stopped by any parent, teacher or guardian alone.

EU vanguard

Denmark aims to be one of the first EU member states to take this step to restrict social media use. The Danes also aim to make the issue a topic of discussion across the EU, as they announced in July when they took over the presidency of the Council of the EU.

Australia serves as an example of social media restrictions. In Australia, a decision has already been made that young people will only be allowed to use platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram from the age of 16 and above.Indeksonline/