COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- As Australia began enforcing a world-first societal media prohibition for children nether 16 years aged this week, Denmark is readying to travel its pb and severely restrict societal media entree for young people.
The Danish authorities announced past period that it had secured an statement by 3 governing conjugation and 2 absorption parties successful parliament to prohibition entree to societal media for anyone nether the property of 15. Such a measurement would beryllium the astir sweeping measurement yet by a European Union federation to bounds usage of societal media among teens and children.
The Danish government's plans could go instrumentality arsenic soon arsenic mid-2026. The projected measurement would springiness immoderate parents the close to fto their children entree societal media from property 13, section media reported, but the ministry has not yet afloat shared their plans.
Many societal media platforms already prohibition children younger than 13 from signing up, and a EU instrumentality requires Big Tech to enactment measures successful spot to support young radical from online risks and inappropriate content. But officials and experts accidental specified restrictions don’t ever work.
Danish authorities person said that contempt the restrictions, astir 98% of Danish children nether property 13 person profiles connected astatine slightest 1 societal media platform, and astir fractional of those nether 10 years aged do.
The curate for integer affairs, Caroline Stage, who announced the projected prohibition past month, said determination is inactive a consultation process for the measurement and respective readings successful parliament earlier it becomes law, possibly by “mid to extremity of adjacent year.”
“In acold excessively galore years, we person fixed the societal media platforms escaped play successful the playing rooms of our children. There’s been nary limits,” Stage said successful an interrogation with The Associated Press past month.
“When we spell into the metropolis astatine night, determination are bouncers who are checking the property of young radical to marque definite that nary 1 underage gets into a enactment that they’re not expected to beryllium in,” she added. “In the integer world, we don’t person immoderate bouncers, and we decidedly request that.”
Under the caller Australian law, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube look fines of up to 50 cardinal Australian dollars ($33 million) if they neglect to instrumentality tenable steps to region accounts of Australian children younger than 16.
Some students accidental they are disquieted that akin strict laws successful Denmark would mean they volition losing interaction with their virtual communities.
“I myself person immoderate friends that I lone cognize from online, and if I wasn’t 15 yet, I wouldn’t beryllium capable to speech with those friends,” 15-year-old pupil Ronja Zander, who uses Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, told the AP.
Copenhagen precocious schoolhouse pupil Chloé Courage Fjelstrup-Matthisen, 14, said she is alert of the antagonistic interaction societal madia tin have, from cyberbullying to seeing graphic content. She said she saw video of a antheral being changeable respective months ago.
“The video was connected societal media everyplace and I conscionable went to schoolhouse and past I saw it,” she said.
Line Pedersen, a parent from Nykøbing successful Denmark, said she believed the plans were a bully idea.
“I deliberation that we didn’t truly recognize what we were doing erstwhile we gave our children the telephone and societal media from erstwhile they were eight, 10 years old," she said. "I don’t rather deliberation that the young radical cognize what’s normal, what’s not normal.”
Danish officials are yet to stock however precisely the projected prohibition would beryllium enforced and which societal media platforms would beryllium affected.
However, a caller “digital evidence” app, announced by the Digital Affairs Ministry past period and expected to motorboat adjacent spring, volition apt signifier the backbone of the Danish plans. The app volition show an property certificate to guarantee users comply with societal media property limits, the ministry said.
“One happening is what they’re saying and different happening is what they’re doing oregon not doing,” Stage said, referring to societal media platforms. “And that’s wherefore we person to bash thing politically.”
Some experts accidental restrictions, specified arsenic the prohibition planned by Denmark, don’t ever enactment and they whitethorn besides infringe connected the rights of children and teenagers.
“To me, the top situation is really the antiauthoritarian rights of these children. I deliberation it’s bittersweet that it’s not taken much into consideration,” said Anne Mette Thorhauge, an subordinate prof astatine the University of Copenhagen.
“Social media, to galore children, is what broadcast media was to my generation," she added. “It was a mode of connecting to society."
Currently, the EU’s Digital Services Act, which took effect 2 years ago, requires societal media platforms to guarantee determination are measures including parental controls and property verification tools earlier young users tin entree the apps.
EU officials person acknowledged that enforcing the regulations aiming astatine protecting children online has proven challenging due to the fact that it requires practice betwixt subordinate states and galore resources.
Denmark is among respective countries that person indicated they program to travel successful Australia’s steps. The Southeast Asian state of Malaysia is expected to prohibition societal media relationship s for radical nether the property of 16 starting astatine the opening of adjacent year, and Norway is besides taking steps to restrict societal media entree for children and teens.
China — which manufacturers galore of the world’s integer devices — has acceptable limits connected online gaming clip and smart-phone clip for kids.
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