Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Tuesday that Denmark will look to ban social media access for children under 15, calling social media a destructive force that has “unleashed a monster” on young people across the Nordic nation.
Speaking during the opening session of parliament, Frederiksen outlined alarming statistics about Danish youth mental health while proposing legislation that would ban social media use for those under 15, with an exception allowing parental approval starting at age 13.
“Never before have so many children and young people suffered from anxiety and depression as now,” Frederiksen told lawmakers as Denmark’s King Frederik, Queen Mary, Queen Margrethe, and Princess Benedikte listened from the chamber. “The mobile phone and social media are stealing our children’s childhood.”
According to the prime minister, research from “Children’s Welfare” reveals that 94 percent of Danish seventh-graders had social media accounts before reaching age 13. She highlighted the unintended consequences of embracing mobile technology for children, saying that parents initially welcomed phones for communication, but such inadvertently created larger problems.
The proposal addresses concerning behavioral patterns among Danish youth. She cited data showing 60 percent of boys aged 11 to 19 do not meet up with a single friend during their free time throughout an entire week, questioning whether such isolation would exist without the influence of smartphones.
“On the screen they see things that no child or young person should see,” Frederiksen said, adding that many young people struggle with reading difficulties and concentration problems linked to cell phone usage.
Denmark’s proposed restrictions follow similar legislative moves by parliament members who recently banned mobile phones from primary schools and after-school programs in late September. That decision emerged from recommendations by a wellbeing commission established by Frederiksen in 2023.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has similarly proposed restricting social media access for users under 15, with his government seeking public consultation for new legislation in June.
Legal challenges are emerging in the United States as some school districts have sought accountability from technology companies over alleged harm to students’ mental health. In an October 2024 California court ruling, school districts received permission to pursue lawsuits against major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat over allegations of harming student mental health.
The California legal battle involves hundreds of complaints from school districts and government entities claiming platforms deliberately designed addictive features targeting minors. Plaintiffs have alleged that companies failed to implement adequate age verification, parental controls, and abuse reporting systems while using algorithms promoting compulsive engagement.
School districts have reported using signification resources just to address social media-related student issues. The litigation revealed that 41 percent of districts added mental health staff, 46 percent expanded mental health programming, 27 percent introduced social-emotional learning classes, and 56 percent provided teacher training for handling student mental health concerns.
The New York legislation targets different aspects of social media platforms that research links to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sleep problems among children and teenagers. The law requires social media companies to show content in chronological order from followed accounts rather than algorithmic recommendations, which are designed to keep users online.
“Children and teenagers are struggling with high rates of anxiety and depression because of addictive features on social media platforms,” James stated in the press release.
According to the New York rules, platforms must create an age verification system and offer alternatives to government-issued ID for confirming the ages of their users. Companies must delete age verification information immediately after use and cannot repurpose such data.
