Possible breakthrough may ban kids on social media

The Danish government, led by Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, is considering using agreement legislation to ensure children can’t create social media profiles without parental consent. This initiative aims to protect minors from tech giants’ exploitative practices and inappropriate content. Current Danish law restricts minors from engaging in certain legal actions, like taking out loans, without parental approval. Despite social media guidelines requiring users to be 13, it’s reported that many Danish children are on these platforms before age ten. After a complaint from Børns Vilkår, the government is probing if similar protections can be applied to social media sign-ups. As of January 1, changes in data protection law require consent for personal data processing of children to be raised from 13 to 15, but social media companies like Meta and Snapchat have indicated they won’t comply with the higher age requirement.