Norway to ban social media use among teenagers under 15 to protect them from ‘power of algorithms’ – Firstpost

The Norwegian government will raise the age limit to 15 for teenagers’ use of social media in a bid to protect children from the “power of algorithms”, the Norwegian prime minister has said.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is aware that protecting teenagers from big tech companies, which he says “work against the brains of little children”, is a difficult task, but said political leaders have a responsibility in protection of adolescents in the country.

Although Norway has already set 13 as the minimum age for adolescents to access social media, studies have shown that children as young as nine have social media accounts, while 58 percent percent of 10-year-olds and 72 percent of 11-year-olds. older people use social media apps.

The government has pledged to implement tougher measures to prevent children from circumventing age restrictions. This includes revising the Personal Data Act to require social media users to be at least 15 years old to consent to the platform’s processing of their personal information and creating an age verification system for users. social media platforms.

“Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. They are big tech giants pitted against the brains of little children. We know it is a difficult battle, because there are strong forces here, but this is also where politics is needed,” Støre told the local newspaper. VG.

A few months ago, the Australian government also banned children from using social media by limiting the minimum age to 16 years.

Many countries around the world are stepping up efforts to ensure that their children are not exposed to harmful content on social media.

Meanwhile, the UK introduced a new bill earlier this year that required social media platforms to reduce the addictiveness of their content for teenagers under 16.

The Safer Phones Bill aims to prevent young users from being dragged down the rabbit hole of social media by excluding them from algorithm-driven content. With support from Labor, the Conservatives and child protection experts, the initiative appears to have gained significant political momentum.

With the contribution of agencies