Norway Moves to Restrict Social Media for Young Users
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced on Friday that his office intends to introduce a bill before the end of the year that would prohibit children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms. The proposed legislation would place the burden of enforcement directly on major technology companies, requiring them to implement age verification tools to prevent underage users from gaining access.
According to a press release from Støre's office, the Norwegian government is proposing that children be permitted to begin using social media on January 1 of the year in which they turn 16 — a nuanced approach that provides a clear, calendar-based threshold rather than relying solely on individual birthdays.
"We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children. 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." — Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
Political Hurdles Remain
Støre is a member of the Labour Party, which does not currently hold a majority in the Norwegian parliament. As a result, the bill's path to becoming law remains uncertain, and it will require support from other parties to advance through the legislative process. Nonetheless, the government has committed to introducing the legislation before year's end.
A Growing European Consensus
Norway's announcement is part of a broader movement across Europe, with multiple governments pledging to restrict social media access for young teenagers. The trend reflects mounting concern among policymakers about the psychological and social harms these platforms can inflict on young people.
France
Earlier in the same month as Norway's announcement, the French Senate voted to implement a social media ban for children under the age of 15. The final details of that bill still require negotiation with the French National Assembly. The measure has received vocal support from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has argued that children's emotions should not be "for sale or manipulated by American platforms and Chinese algorithms."
Spain
In February, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that his government would block children aged 15 and under from accessing social media platforms, signaling one of the more assertive national commitments on the issue.
The Netherlands
Also in February, the Dutch government announced its intention to establish a minimum age of 15 for social media use, aligning itself with its European neighbors in calling for tighter platform access restrictions for minors.
The European Union
Beyond individual member states, the European Union has also been working toward implementing a broader social media ban targeting young teenagers, suggesting that coordinated continent-wide action may be on the horizon.
United Kingdom
The British government has been conducting a pilot program involving hundreds of families to test various social media restrictions. The program forms part of a public consultation examining whether and how to limit the harmful effects social media can have on young people. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has emerged as a strong advocate for a ban, stating that "being a child should not be about constant judgement from strangers or the pressure to perform for likes."
Big Tech in the Crosshairs
A defining feature of the Norwegian proposal — and of several similar bills across Europe — is the expectation that technology platforms themselves will bear responsibility for verifying the ages of their users. Rather than placing the onus on parents or children, the legislation envisions a regulatory framework in which companies deploy technical solutions to keep underage users off their platforms.
This approach reflects a shifting political attitude toward large technology firms, with governments increasingly unwilling to accept self-regulation as sufficient. The Norwegian bill's inclusion of age verification requirements mirrors debates happening in legislatures across the continent about how to make digital spaces safer for children without infringing on the rights of adults.
What Comes Next
With the bill expected to be introduced before the close of the year, attention will turn to whether Støre's Labour-led government can build the cross-party coalition necessary to pass the measure into law. If successful, Norway would join a growing list of European nations formally restricting minors' access to social media — a development that could place significant compliance pressure on global platforms operating across the region.
Source: The Record