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Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s as PM warns phones ‘stealing childhood’
(www.theguardian.com)
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Wow, Europe is diving deep into authoritarianism.
Denmark has every right to protect their kids from becoming the property of US tech companies. And if this means they end up never joining Facebook/ X, etc, then it is a victory against the MAGA & fascist attitudes that those companies spread. People should not be so concerned when a state takes action against companies. When the US broke up Standard Oil it did everyone a whole heap of good. If other countries follow suit with a social media ban for under-15s I think it could be similarly transformative.
Yes, it potentially creates challenges around privacy, but for a law like this to have its intended effect doesn't entirely depend as much on age verification as people think.
The thing with a law is that its transformative effect works over a long period of time. For example, on the day when this takes effect, a heap of kids will still find a way to use these social media sites. But in a couple of years, kids won't want to, because their friends are not on there. This happens, because a few years, and perhaps a few test cases later, society as a whole deems it wrong and illegal for a kid to be on social media.
15 years olds are smart enough to use social media safely in their own free time, we need better parenting.
15, you say? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-25/united-nations-general-assembly-social-media-ban/105814246