Denmark introduces a ban on social media access for children under 15 years old

• Denmark is introducing a ban on social media access for children under 15 years old.
• Parents will be able to grant permission for access for children aged 13 years and older.
• 160 million kroner has been allocated for the protection of youth online.

On Friday, the Danish government announced a political agreement that includes a ban on access to social media for individuals under the age of 15. This step was initiated by the Ministry of Digitalization in response to concerns about the impact of social media on the mental health of children.

Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen stated that it is essential to implement measures to protect children in the digital environment. A majority of parliament supported this initiative.

According to the agreement, parents will be able to grant permission for their children aged 13-14 to access social media, but only after an appropriate assessment.

This legislative project will become one of the largest measures in Europe aimed at restricting the use of social media among youth. It is known that 94% of children under 13 years old in Denmark already have profiles on social media.

Minister of Digital Affairs Karoline Stæhr reported that there are plans to allocate an additional 160 million Danish kroner (approximately 24.8 million dollars) for 14 initiatives aimed at protecting children online.

Denmark will become one of the first countries in the EU to introduce restrictions on access to social media, following the example of Australia, where a ban on the use of social media for children under 16 years old will be implemented starting in June 2023.

Tags: Europe/Politics/Technology