The Norwegian government has raised the minimum age at which children can use social media from 13 to 15 in a bid to protect them from the 'power of algorithms'.
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| The Norwegian government has pledged to introduce more measures to prevent children from circumventing age restrictions on social media use. |
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said it was a strong signal from the government. He also admitted that enforcing the new age limit would be "an uphill battle". but insisted politicians must intervene to protect children from the “power of algorithms”.
“Children need to be protected from harmful content on social media. This is a campaign to stop the big tech giants from exploiting children’s brains. We know it’s an uphill battle, but it’s a fight that must be fought,” he said.
Norway currently sets the minimum age for children to use social media at 13. However, according to research by regulators, more than half of 9-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds and up to 72% of 11-year-olds are still using social media.
The government has pledged to introduce stricter measures to prevent children from circumventing age restrictions, including amending the Personal Data Act to require only users aged 15 and older to allow platforms to process their private information, and requiring social networks to develop age verification tools.
While admitting that social media can provide communities for isolated children, the Norwegian Prime Minister believes that self-expression cannot be left in the hands of algorithms.
The measure is aimed at supporting parents, according to Children and Family Affairs Minister Kjersti Toppe. She said the government is studying ways to enforce the restrictions without interfering with human rights.
Not only Norway, but Australia has also announced a ban on social media for teenagers and young children. The age limit has not been decided yet but is likely to be between 14 and 16.
Some schools in countries like France, Singapore, Finland and China have banned the use of phones in school.
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