The Norwegian government is now looking at tightening age regulations on social media. They are also proposing the introduction of BankID, or a similar electronic identification system, in order to be able to log in to the platforms at all.
Most social media platforms already have an age limit of 13 years, but despite this, many younger children still use the platforms. The Norwegian Media Authority’s Child and Media Survey from 2022 shows that almost half of Norway’s nine-year-olds use social media, and that the proportion is 56 per cent for ten-year-olds.
– We see that children well below the age of 13 spend an alarmingly high number of hours on social media, and that age limits are largely ignored, said minister of education, Kari Nessa Nordtun, to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.
The ministry of children and families is currently working together with several other ministries to see how the age limit on social media can be more strictly regulated. The government will present a white paper on safe digital childhood in the autumn.
Snapchat and TikTok
– In connection with this, we are looking at how we can introduce an age limit, in addition to other measures to better protect children, says the minister for children and families, Kjersti Toppe.
BankID or other similar verification tools could be a possible solution to prevent too young children from logging on to social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.
– It is too early to say how this will be done and whether it will require a change in the law, Nordtun explains.
