This country is going to war with the “power of the algorithm.” We need to be more radical
The Prime Minister of Norway wants to protect young people from the “power of the algorithm”. Previous bans did not achieve much. Norway wants to introduce a stricter age limit on social media.
This means that in order to legally use social media platforms, the user must be at least 15 years old. This is the government’s latest campaign against technology giants that are “set to fight the brains of young children.”
The authorities realize that the fight will be difficult, but who, if not politicians, should intervene in such cases? The Labor Party leader stated that social media is being misused by the industry. And it is true that in Norway there is already a minimum age limit of 13, but the latest research has shown that this does not help much. More than half of 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds use platforms, despite established bans.
Therefore, the government is signaling that More robust security is needed to prevent age restrictions from being circumvented. Media users should be at least 15 years old to consent to the processing of their personal data by the platform.
It’s also about giving parents the peace of mind to say “no.” Many people would like to say “no” but feel they can’t.
– says Kjersti Toppe, Minister of Children and Families.
Norway is not the only country working on this issue. Australia wants to block children’s access to media and sets age limits, France, on the other hand, is testing a ban on the use of smartphones in schools up to 15 years of age.
