The Danish government has reached an agreement to implement a minimum age requirement of 15 years old on certain social media platforms, it announced on Friday.
The move follows Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s call for restrictions on children’s use of social media in her opening speech to Parliament last month, due to concerns over youth mental health. A majority of parties in parliament said they would support the plan.
“As one of the first countries in the EU, Denmark is now taking a groundbreaking step towards introducing age limits on social media,” said the country’s digitalization ministry in a statement. “This is done to protect children and young people in the digital world.”
“As a starting point, children under the age of 15 should not have access to platforms that may expose them to harmful content or harmful features,” the statement said.
The ministry did not specify which social media platforms are affected or how the ban will be enforced.
However, exceptions can be made if parents believe their child should have access to social media at an earlier age. According to the statement, parents will have the opportunity to consent to their children’s access, if their children are as young as 13.
