According to DR, the Danish government, in cooperation with the Conservative Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti) and the Radical Venstre Party (Radikale Venstre), announced a new agreement imposing a minimum age limit for the use of social media, allowing access only to those over fifteen years of age, with the possibility of granting an exception for children from the age of thirteen with parental consent.
Background of the agreement
The government and allied parties held a press conference this afternoon to announce the agreement. Digital Transformation Minister Caroline Stage described the agreement as a “new step” in protecting children from the negative effects of digital applications. Stage stressed that the agreement sets clear standards for protecting children and young people online.
Mette Frederiksen's statements
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen explained that the government is seeking to regulate the use of social media, which had previously been "without any rules." She added that the government aims to "fix the chaos that social media and phones have caused for children." She confirmed that the agreement was the result of discussions between political parties, but noted that some parties had wanted stricter limits.
Leftist parties withdraw from agreement negotiations
According to the source, left-wing parties such as the SF, the Unity List (Enhedslisten) and the Alternative (Alternativet) withdrew from negotiations in protest against the clause allowing children as young as 13 to use social media with parental consent. Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, the SF's spokesperson for information technology, described the agreement as "not ambitious enough," asserting that allowing children of this age to use apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram promotes harmful addictive algorithms.
Minister of Education and Childhood: Educational and social motives behind the agreement
Education and Childhood Minister Mattias Tesfaye said the agreement helps parents control their children's phone use, explaining that "many parents feel compelled to give their children a phone to keep up with their classmates." He added that the government wants to make discussing phone use in schools "as normal as discussing alcohol." Tesfaye emphasized that the agreement gives families strong regulatory tools and helps schools educate students about the dangers of digital addiction, according to DR.
