The Norwegian government will raise the minimum age of users in social networks to 15 years. This should protect children and teenagers from the influence of harmful algorithms.
This is reported by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.
"Big tech giants are working against the minds of little kids. This is a difficult battle, because it is about great power, but politics is also necessary in this [issue]," said the Prime Minister of the country Jonas Gar Støre.
Norway already has a minimum age of 13 for using online platforms. However, research by the Norwegian Media Authority shows that more than half of nine-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds and 72% of 11-year-olds continue to use social media.
To ensure that young users do not bypass age restrictions, they plan to develop an age verification mechanism, writes The Guardian. Officials are considering restraint methods that do not violate human rights. One option is to require a bank account, says Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe.
The government also wanted to amend the Personal Data Act, which would require platform users to be 15 years old to agree to the rules on personal data processing.
- In early 2024, Facebook and Instagram introduced stricter content control settings for all teens. This was done to protect them from sensitive content about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders when they use the search functions.
- However, in May the EU opened an investigation against Facebook and Instagram for potential child safety violations of the EU Digital Services Act. Metaʼs parent company was then threatened with large fines.
- The Financial Times reported that Meta and Google teamed up for a secret campaign to target teenagers with Instagram ads on the YouTube platform. So they violated their own rules for dealing with minors on the Internet.
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Author: Anastasiia Mohylevets