Norway has decided to raise the minimum age for using social networking services (SNS) from 13 to 15. According to the British daily The Guardian on the 23rd local time, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre revealed in a media interview that politicians need to intervene to protect children from the “power of algorithms” and announced plans to increase the age limit for SNS use.
Prime Minister Støre also hinted at amending laws to support this measure. He mentioned that by amending the Personal Data Protection Act to set the age of consent for personal data use to 15 and above, safety measures will be introduced to prevent children from bypassing this age restriction.
He emphasized the need to protect children from harmful content on SNS, but also predicted a tough fight against large tech companies.
Currently, Norway allows access to social media from the age of 13. However, according to investigations by authorities, more than half of 9-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds, and 72% of 11-year-olds are already accessing SNS.
Previously, France established a law in June last year to restrict SNS use for those under 15 without parental or guardian approval. Australia is also in the process of pursuing similar legislation. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on local ABC broadcast on the 10th of last month that a pilot project will soon be carried out to introduce an SNS age restriction law within the year.