Norway’s government has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media use for children under 16, alongside measures requiring tech companies to verify the ages of younger users.
“We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement, reports RTE.
“Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens.
“This is an important measure to safeguard children’s digital lives,” Mr Stoere said, reports RTE.
The minority Labour government said the proposed law will be brought before parliament by the end of 2026.
The move follows Australia’s world-first ban on social media use for under-16s, which came into effect in December, reports RTE.
In February, Australia reported that more than 4.7 million accounts belonging to under-16s had been deactivated or removed since the rules were introduced.
Several other countries, including Ireland, are now considering adopting similar measures, reports RTE.
At least 14 European nations are examining age-based restrictions for social media access among under-16s.
Countries such as Denmark, Italy, Portugal and Spain are exploring legislation or conducting formal consultations on possible age limits, reports RTE.
Earlier this week, MPs in the UK voted for the third time against introducing a social media ban for under-16s.
Education minister Olivia Bailey told the House of Commons that consultation should take place before implementing any strategy to address harms linked to social media, reports RTE.
MPs voted 260 to 161 to reject an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which had proposed raising the minimum age for accessing certain social media platforms to 16 within a year.
Under the Bill, ministers are expected to be granted flexible powers to limit children’s social media use through curfews, restrictions on scrolling, and controls on location sharing, reports RTE.
The Government could also opt to block access to specific platforms for those under 16.
This marks the third occasion on which MPs have voted down the proposal, reports RTE.
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