Norway wants to ban under-15s from social media, and expects an ‘uphill battle’

The new regulations would likely include an age-verification barrier, VG reported.

Norway’s minister for children and families, Kjersti Toppe, told VG she hoped the law would help parents restrict their children.

Legislation would give “parents the security to say no,” she said.

“We know that many people really want to say no, but don’t feel they can,” she said.

However, critics say the parents, not the government, should set social-media rules.

Thomas Anglero is an AI expert, author, and CEO of the tech company Too Easy, based in Oslo. Speaking to Business Insider, Anglero said Norwegian people would likely ignore the rules.

Anglero said it’s common for Oslo families to use social media, whether to coordinate children’s sports teams or just to chat.

“This law stops the functioning of the average family and creates chaos for everyone,” he said.

“Yes, children need to be protected, but better parenting is a better answer than banning technology,” he said.

“The problem is not the tech but the culture. Norway’s social system works but it still requires parents to be parents and raise their children, not the government.”

Lina Ghazal, the head of regulatory affairs at Verifymy, an online safety provider, said that Norway would need to be smart about making a ban effective.

Ghazal told BI that the government would need to come up with strong controls so kids “can’t easily bypass ineffective checking.”

She suggested using email address age estimation and facial age estimation, two techniques that she said are “less disruptive” than requiring photos of IDs.

“If they get it right, it would create a powerful model for other countries looking to create safer, age-appropriate online environments,” she said.

Other countries are considering similar ideas.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is working on a ban for children under 16, The Guardian reported.

France is taking a different approach, trialling a ban on mobile phones at schools for children under 15.

Representatives for Støre and Toppe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.