Denmark Joins Australia: Pioneering Youth Social Media Restrictions for Safer Digital Spaces

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said it’s “important” the country’s social media ban, which begins December 10, is successful, as Denmark announces its first steps towards a minimum age requirement.

Denmark’s government has announced a political agreement to ban access to social media for anyone aged under 15.

The measures would set that age limit for access to social media but give some parents — after a specific assessment — the right to give consent to let their children access social media from age 13.

With Australia’s world-first ban just weeks away, Albanese told the ABC on Friday, before Denmark’s announcement, that “the world is watching what we’re doing here”.

“It’s important as we go forward that this is a success,” he said.

In a concerted effort to bolster online safety for children, Denmark has taken a significant step by establishing age restrictions on social media platforms. This initiative aligns with a collaborative pledge by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the European Union, and the United Kingdom to enhance the protection of young internet users.

Denmark’s Ministry for Digital Affairs highlighted the country’s pioneering move within the EU, emphasizing that these age limits are designed to safeguard children and adolescents in the digital sphere. “We are finally drawing a line in the sand,” declared Caroline Stage, the minister for digital affairs.

Under the Australian ban, platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram will be subject to fines of up to $50 million for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

The Denmark proposal, which would set the minimum age at 15 rather than 16, would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European government to address concerns about the use of social media among teens and younger children.

Interestingly, the popular chat platform Discord will not fall under the new restrictions, as confirmed by the eSafety Commissioner. Source: AAP / Mateusz Slodkowski

A coalition of parties on both the right and left of politics is “making it clear that children should not be left alone in a digital world where harmful content and commercial interests are too much a part of shaping their everyday lives and childhoods”.

Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their concentration and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present, the statement said.

While Discord remains unaffected, other platforms such as GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, Google Classroom, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids will also be exempt from the age-related ban. This exemption has sparked further discussions about the inclusion and exclusion of platforms, as detailed in a related report.

Joining forces with the UK and Europe

The eSafety Commissioner has issued a joint pledge with the European Commission and the UK’s media regulatory body, Ofcom, to work together to improve child safety online.

As part of that pledge, they have committed to a technical “trilateral cooperation group on age assurance”, which will look at sharing technology and best practices when it comes to enforcing minimum ages online.

With just one month remaining until Australia’s ban begins, Reddit and Kick were added this week to the list of platforms included in the ban, with the inclusion of streaming platform Twitch still being considered.

Chat platform Discord will not be included in the ban, according to the eSafety Commissioner. Source: AAP / Mateusz Slodkowski

Meanwhile, Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, Google Classroom, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids, have been confirmed to be exempt from the ban.

Albanese told the ABC on Friday that tech platforms are “engaged” with the government about how to enact the ban.

Albanese said they expect compliance, but they want social media companies to “do their best to comply with the law”.

“This isn’t a debate that comes from the government making a decision and telling the community this is what must happen. This is the community demanding an appropriate government-level response.”

With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.