Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced that the country’s authorities are going to restrict the use of social media by children under 15, the Norwegian publication Verdens Gang (VG) reported on October 23.
The government is going to change the law, which currently allows the use of social media from the age of 13. The authorities also intend to adopt an amendment so that social networks check the age of users when agreeing to the collection and processing of personal data.
The head of the Norwegian government said that it will be a “difficult fight”, but, according to him, “children must be protected from harmful content on social media.” Støre added that large tech companies are “against the brains of young children.” The Norwegian prime minister said this when he spoke with a group of parents in Stavanger advocating for the introduction of age restrictions on the use of social media. As VG notes, in the spring of 2023, a representative of the group launched a petition demanding that children under 16 be banned from using social media, it was signed by more than 11 thousand people.
Minister for Children and Family Affairs Kjersti Toppe, who participated in the meeting, noted that parents can give consent for their children to use social media.