– Social media is a large part of our everyday life. Nevertheless, I support the proposal. I think a ban could be good for many. For example, a number of bans take place via some, says Åsmund Granhus Bakken (15). He is a student at Leknes school in Lofoten. Both Bakken and fellow pupils Vida Daleng-Hanssen (15) and Rachel-Christine Grønhaug-Kleppe (13) have heard Wednesday’s news from the government. They want to introduce an absolute age limit of 15 for the use of social media. – Such a proposal sends quite a strong signal. Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. These are big tech giants pitted against small children’s brains, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap). The government proposes a slightly special way to achieve a ban. The plan is to raise the age limit to be able to give consent to provide your personal information. This is how they will do it: When you create a user on social media today, you must consent to them being able to collect your personal data. The Personal Data Act currently states that you must be 13 years old to be able to consent to this. The government is now proposing to amend this law, so that it should state 15 years. The next step is to find out how children can’t just press on if they are not old enough, through electronic identification. That’s why age limits in social media are so difficult Many politicians want to stop children from using social media. They believe that websites such as TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat can harm young people, and that there is a lot of content there that children do not benefit from. But setting an age limit on social media is not only easy. First, for example, you have to agree on what a social medium actually is. Both Youtube, Wikipedia, the computer game Roblox and the training platform Spond can easily be considered social media. You can both like, comment and post your own content there. At the same time, these are services that children can greatly benefit from and enjoy. It is also difficult to say how an age limit should work technically. Already today, many children break the age limits. One solution could be BankID. But not everyone has that. Moreover, it will thus become impossible to be completely anonymous. The EU is working on a technical solution to age verification. But it is still uncertain what it will look like and when it will be finished. In the meantime, the Norwegian government’s solution is to say that you must be 15 to be able to consent to the use of personal data. It will apply to far more websites than TikTok and Facebook, but that rule will probably be just as easy to break as the previous one. In Lofoten, young people are positive about a ban: Vida Daleng-Hanssen (15) – I think it might be a good idea. Like now, when there is a lot of war in the world, children can be exposed to a lot of violence and the like via social media, says Daleng-Hanssen. – At the same time, it can lead to someone ending up on the outside. There are people who don’t have many friends, who use social media to keep in touch with people even if they are far away. Åsmund Granhus Bakken (15). – Social media is designed so that we can keep in touch with each other. But if there is an age limit, I think we will be able to adapt. For example by using SMS. – It will probably be easier for adults to say no or limit children’s use of social media. At the same time, it can be difficult to follow up, so I am excited to see what a possible ban will look like. – The fact that they will also tighten up on the collection of information from users is good. It is easy to press accept when downloading a new app, without thinking about the information you are giving away. Rachel-Christine Grønhaug-Kleppe (13) – A ban can be a good thing. There are many people who are not developed enough to think critically about what they see on social media. At the same time, there are probably some who will feel excluded. – It can certainly be smart to tighten up on the information that the companies can extract. You have to give up a good amount of inormaison to get a user on these platforms, but you don’t always think about that when you log in. Disagree with the government Leader of Save the Children, Marius Sjølyst, believes, however, that the government is tackling the problems at the wrong end. – It is not the age limit that should be the focus. We should rather look at what the tech giants and these platforms are doing, he says. He then refers to how the algorithms of the largest social media, such as TikTok, can end up feeding children and young people with content they do not benefit from, and how the platforms are designed to make us dependent on them. Sjølyst believes that young people are missing out on several positive opportunities by being banned from social media. – Firstly, the opportunities to participate in the public debate are greatly reduced. In addition, it weakens their opportunities to keep up with society. After all, many media houses use social media. As the proposal currently stands, they must have permission from their parents to read online newspapers, says Sjølyst. – But it is also about the opportunity to obtain information that can be a little difficult to obtain, such as information about religion or orientation. He also points out that most sports teams and organizations use social media to communicate with their members. At the same time, Save the Children is clear that it is important to limit the use of social media. – But then we believe that we have to look at how the platforms are designed, not a possible age limit. It is not automatic that a 15-year-old is better suited to social media than others, as the platforms are designed today. At Blussuvoll school in Trondheim, the students agree that the age limit should be raised. – I actually think that social media is a bad thing. There is a lot of content that is not real, and it is not always easy for 13-year-olds to understand, says Eivind Sæterhaug Husby (14). – There is a lot that is said on social media that is not true. You can simply be deceived, says Jo Strøm Amdam (14). Dorthe Malmo (14), Eivind Sæterhaug Husby (14) and Jo Strøm Amdam (14) all agree that 15 can be a good age limit for social media. Photo: Maria Evensen / news Need to find other methods The West police district, like most other police districts, has its own online patrol. Subject leader Rune Filmreite believes the government’s proposal is a step in the right direction. – The challenge as we see it is that around half of those between the ages of 9 and 12 are on a social media platform. We see that there is an incredible difference in how mature they are, how close a dialogue they have with parents, and perhaps what ability they have to handle difficult situations that arise on social media, he says. The police themselves use social media to have contact with the public. Especially the youngest part of the population. Filmreite believes that an age limit can affect the police’s contact with young people. – It may well be that it creates some challenges. We see today that the threshold has been low for them when it comes to contacting us. But then the police have to create solutions that mean we are still available to them, he says. The eighth graders at Kvåle secondary school do not have as much faith in the government’s proposal: Sigrid Munthe Olsen – I think it should be legal from the age of 13. Many people are responsible and behave when they are 13 years old. – The advantage of having a 15-year-old limit is perhaps that you know more about how to behave online. Alexander Holen Vatsaas – There should rather be a lower age limit. 11 years or something like that. Because we are taught to use the phone and we learn internet skills at school. Moreover, I almost think that there is more neatness among those who are a little older. – I don’t think young people are going to let themselves be stopped by an age limit anyway. Either the parents are going to allow it, or they are going to download it themselves. Maja Lunde Author and media expert Maja Lunde recently published the book “Skjerm Barna”. She simply believes that less screen use will make the lives of children and young people better. – Social media has its advantages, but the disadvantages exceed the advantages, she says. But Lunde still does not believe that an age limit will remove all the challenges. – One of the reasons why I wrote “Screen the children” was to create an overview of all the measures we as a society should take to give the children back their childhood. We need to work on many fronts, she says. – We need better guidance from parents. This is where the health authorities should step in. Parents should be encouraged to use screen time apps to regulate their children’s use of digital entertainment. We should also wait to give children smartphones, at least until they go to secondary school. – One argument in the debate is that it becomes more difficult to keep in touch with people, especially for those who are a bit lonely. How do you think it can be solved? – Loneliness is not solved primarily through digital communities, but through meeting people in reality and getting help out of loneliness. We need to strengthen BUP and the school health service, as well as the leisure facilities for children and young people. In many municipalities they are now closing down youth clubs. It’s the wrong way to go. Published 23.10.2024, at 17.39 Updated 23.10.2024, at 17.53
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The government will set an age limit on social media – news Nordland
