Norway Moves Forward with Age Limit for Social Media

Norway is committed to creating a safer internet for children, recognizing the serious impact that screen use and social media can have on children's sleep, mental health, learning and concentration.

"This is one of the most pressing social and cultural challenges of our time, and it cannot be solved through national measures alone. We aim to strengthen European cooperation to ensure a safe digital environment for children and young people," said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Ensuring a safe digital upbringing for all children is a top priority for the Labour Party government. Before the summer, they will present a public consultation proposal for a new law introducing an absolute age limit of 15 years for access to social media platforms.

"We cannot allow screens and algorithms to take over childhood. Children must be protected from harmful content, abuse, commercial exploitation, and misuse of personal data," said Minister of Children and Families Lene Vågslid.

Developing effective enforcement mechanisms for an absolute age limit is both a legal and technological frontier. Currently, there are no fully effective solutions for age verification. Norway intends to work closely with the EU and other European countries tackling the same issue, to help develop practical and accessible solutions.

"Digitalisation goes beyond national borders. Norway is working closely with the EU on how to regulate the large tech companies. We want to find joint solutions on age verification and age restrictions," said Minster of Digitalisation and Public Governance Karianne Tung.

The purpose of the proposed law is to protect children and young people from potential harm associated with social media use, including exposure to criminal activity. The law will include a definition of what constitutes a social media platform, which will be essential for determining which services are subject to the age restriction.

Importantly, the law will not restrict children's ability to participate in leisure activities or social communities. It will be designed in accordance with children's fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to association.

Exceptions will be proposed for services such as video games and platforms used for communication related to school or extracurricular activities.

The Norwegian government is also implementing several complementary initiatives to protect children online:

• Raising the GDPR age of consent for processing personal data by information society services to 15 years.
• Issuing national health authority recommendations on screen use, screen time, and social media.
• Removing mobile phones from schools, by a clear national recommendation.
• Proposing legislation to strengthen penalties for violations of marketing regulations targeting children.
• Addressing online crime and exploitation of children and youth.

Key Statistics from Norway

• 72% of children aged 9-12 in Norway use social media.
• The proportion of children exposed to frightening or violent content has increased (from 51% in 2022 to 56% in 2024).
• 75% of the population supports electronic age verification for social media.
• 60% believe the government-not platforms or parents-should set age limits for social media use.