Denmark is set to impose a ban on the use of social media for children under 15 years old, a move that aims to curb mental health among the youth.
The move, which was announced earlier this month, follows the lead of Australia when the Parliament passed the “world-first law” than bans social media use for children under the age of 16. The Senate passed the bill with 34 affirmative votes against 19, while the House of Representatives approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13, reported the Associated Press.
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, adding that the law “supported parents concerned by online harms to their children.” The law will also impose a hefty fine of up to $33 million to social media companies for “systemic failures” to prevent children younger than 16 years from creating an account.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s measure to limit social media usage for the younger generation would be the among the most sweeping steps yet by a European Union government following the increasing concerns about the negative impact of prolonged Internet use.
Speaking to AP in a separate interview, Caroline Stage, Denmark’s minister for digital affairs, said that 94% of Danish children under 13 years old have profiles on at least one social media platform, while more than half of those under 10 do.
Stage added that the amount of time children spend online, plus the violence and self-harm that they are exposed while navigating through the interweb, “is simply too great a risk.” But while she praised tech firms, describing them as “the greatest companies that we have,” they are not willing to invest in the safety of children despite the “absurd amount of money available.” Stage admits that Denmark is in no rush to pass relevant legislation as it would take
months to do so.
“I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won’t do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through,” she said.
