Denmark has taken a step forward by presenting a political agreement for prohibit access to social networks for children under 15 years oldThe plan, reached by the Government with the support of part of the opposition, has a parliamentary majority, although it still needs to finalize several technical aspects regarding its implementation.
The proposal includes an exception: in justified cases, Parents may authorize use from the age of 13The list of affected platforms has not been detailed, but the focus is on services with public profiles and with risks documented by addictive designs or due to the presence of illegal or harmful content.
What does the proposal include and how would it be implemented?
The government wants to introduce obligations for digital products and services to include parental protection and control features pre-installed or easily accessible. At this point, Denmark looks to the experience of France and Spainwhere measures have been promoted to ensure that these controls are effective, free and accessible, and to strengthen the age verification mechanisms.
The policy package includes specific funding: 160 billion Danish kroner (about 21 million euros) allocated to 14 initiatives, including information campaigns and alternative leisure and digital training offers for families and educational centers.
It remains to be defined how the will be implemented age verification to prevent minors bypass the controlsAs the French head of AI and Digital Economy, Clara Chappaz, pointed out, "it is very easy to change the date of birth," a problem that this agreement aims to address with more robust technical solutions.
In Spain, Minister Félix Bolaños has emphasized that the The average age for getting a first mobile phone is around 11 years old.This data reinforces the European debate on early access to social platforms and the need for effective controls from the device and service level.
The Danish Minister for Digitalization, Caroline Stage, argued that the agreement marks «a new standard"to protect minors in the digital environment, while official data indicates that 94% of children under 13 It already has some access to networks.
Political debate and reaction in Europe
The exception clause—which allows access with parental permission from the age of 13—has provoked rejection from several left-wing parties from the Danish Parliament, who consider the measure "unambitious" compared to algorithms that foster dependency en platforms like TikTokSnapchat or Instagram.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has stressed the urgency of action:We are stealing childhood "to our children," he said, alluding to mental health problems such as depression, low self-esteem or lack of concentration, as well as content not appropriate for their age.
With this move, Denmark places itself among the first EU countries in promoting a national age limit for social networks, following in the footsteps of previous initiatives such as Australia's, which established a stricter restriction to protect minors from potential harm.
For Spain and the rest of Europe, the Danish approach may accelerate common criteria on age verification, responsible design and parental controls, uniting public and private efforts to reduce exposure to harmful content.
Although the proposal does not specify concrete names, the text addresses the large platforms with public profiles and a greater impact among teenagers, with the aim of reinforcing their duty of care in child safety.
The Danish initiative sets a clear line: restrict access to networks for minors under 15The proposal allows for controlled exceptions from age 13, accompanied by public investment, new obligations for platforms, and more effective controls. While it enjoys majority support and some criticism regarding the exception, the text still needs to specify its implementation, but it already sets the course for the European debate on children's digital well-being.
