Denmark Bans Social Media for Under-15s

Denmark's government announced on Friday an agreement to ban children under 15 from accessing social media platforms, marking one of the strictest measures yet in Europe to address concerns over youth mental health and online harms. The policy, led by the Ministry of Digitalization, will allow parents to grant access to 13- and 14-year-olds after a specific assessment. The announcement came during a parliamentary session in Copenhagen, following Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's call last month for restrictions on digital platforms.

The ban targets popular services used by Danish youth, including Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. According to a February analysis by the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority, children in the country spend an average of 2 hours and 40 minutes daily on social media. Officials cited widespread exposure to harmful content, such as violence and self-harm promotion, as a key driver for the move. "The amount of time they spend online, the amount of violence and self-harm that they are exposed to online, is simply too great a risk for our children," Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage said in an interview.