Denmark’s government has agreed to ban social media use for anyone under 15. The move is one of Europe’s biggest steps yet to protect children from harmful content and online pressure.
Digital Affairs Minister Caroline Stage said the goal is to keep young people safe from violence, self-harm and online manipulation.
“The amount of time they spend online, and the risks they face, are simply too great,” she told The Associated Press.
Under the plan, parents may allow children as young as 13 to use social media, but only after a special review. Stage said the new law will take time to prepare because lawmakers want to make sure it is strong and fair.
“Denmark will hurry, but we won’t rush,” she said. “We need to make sure there are no loopholes for the tech giants to slip through.”
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To enforce the rule, the government will use Denmark’s national electronic ID system and a new age-check app. Tech companies that do not follow the rules could face fines of up to 6% of their global income under EU law.
Stage said major tech firms care more about profits than child safety.
“They’re some of the greatest companies we have, but they’re simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children,” she said.
The Digital Affairs Ministry said the goal is not to remove children from the internet, but to protect them from harmful content.
“Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose focus and face pressure from online relationships where adults aren’t always present,” the ministry said.
TikTok said it supports Denmark’s plan to improve online safety.
“We have more than 50 built-in safety features for teen accounts and tools like Family Pairing to help parents manage settings,” the company said in a statement.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stage said the government had given tech companies many chances to fix these problems on their own but nothing changed.
“We’ve given the tech giants so many chances to take responsibility for what happens on their platforms,” she said. “They haven’t done it, so now we’ll take the wheel and make sure our children’s futures are safe.”