Denmark’s government announced Friday plans to ban social media access for anyone under 15, aiming to shield children from harmful content and commercial pressures online.
According to The Associated Press, the measure would allow some parents, after a specific assessment, to permit children to access platforms starting at age 13. Enforcement details remain unclear, as many tech companies already restrict pre-teens from signing up, though officials acknowledge such restrictions often fail.
“This band is going to drop some very heavy snow and some hairy scenarios for the Monday morning commute,” said Caroline Stage, Denmark’s minister for digital affairs. She added that 94% of Danish children under 13 already have profiles on at least one social media platform, and more than half of children under 10 do.
“The amount of time they spend online — the amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to online — is simply too great a risk for our children,” Stage said. She praised tech giants as “the greatest companies that we have. They have an absurd amount of money available, but they’re simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children, invest in the safety of all of us.”
Stage emphasized that legislation will take months to pass. “I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won’t do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through,” she said.
The move follows Australia’s December decision to ban social media for children under 16, exposing platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram to fines of up to $33 million for failing to prevent underage accounts.
Denmark plans to use its national electronic ID system, available to nearly all citizens over 13, and create an age-verification app to enforce the ban. Stage said, “We cannot force the tech giants to use our app, but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they don’t, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6% of their global income.”
Stage stressed the policy is aimed at keeping children away from harmful content, not excluding them from digital life. “Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” her ministry said.
The EU’s Digital Services Act already forbids children under 13 from holding accounts on major social media, video platforms, and AI companion apps. Companies like TikTok and Meta have systems in place to verify age and provide parental controls.
TikTok said it supports Denmark’s initiative: “We have steadfastly created a robust trust and safety track record, with more than 50 preset safety features for teen accounts, as well as age appropriate experiences and tools for guardians such as Family Pairing.”
Stage concluded, “We’ve given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They haven’t done it. So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our children’s futures are safe.”
