Denmark’s government has announced plans to ban access to social media for children under 15, one of the toughest restrictions yet proposed within the EU as countries grapple with the impact of platforms on young people.
The political agreement, unveiled Friday by the Ministry of Digitalisation, would bar those under 15 from joining unspecified “certain” social networks. Parents could give consent for limited access from age 13 following an assessment. Officials did not outline how the rules would be enforced, though they insisted action was needed to shield minors from commercial pressures, harmful content, and disrupted sleep.
Digitalisation Minister Caroline Stage said Denmark was “drawing a line in the sand” after years in which big tech “had free rein in children’s rooms.”
The move follows similar efforts abroad. Australia has imposed the world’s first national ban for under-16s, while Greece introduced automatic blocks for under-16s in October. France is weighing a ban for under-15s alongside a nighttime digital curfew for older teens.
