The government moved hard in October: Soon there will be a 15-year limit for using social media in Norway. – Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. These are big tech giants pitted against small children’s brains, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to VG. The plan was to first introduce a cautious limit, where only people over 15 can consent to the use of their personal data on the internet. But the plan is also ready to change the law, and to put in place a technical age verification. Now the Consumer Council is issuing a report on the commercial exploitation of children and young people online. There, the conclusion is the opposite of the government’s. The Consumer Council strongly warns against a technical age restriction that will keep children out of social media. – It will shut a lot of people out, including adults, says the head of the Consumer Council. Would not close the center – This report is a thorough review of what can happen if you introduce age limits with so-called age verification. We warn against that, says Inger Lise Blyverket, director of the Consumer Council. She believes that an age limit is technically difficult to implement. But also that many adults will be excluded from such a solution. And that children will also be denied participation in both social and political contexts. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre believes it is high time for strict rules for children’s use of social media. – It is unlikely that we would have blocked off the entire center of Oslo for children and young people, because there were criminal elements there. Then you put in place the enforcement of the regulations you have, and you develop regulations that are effective, says Blyverket. She believes that it is difficult to define what constitutes social media, and believes that an age restriction can cause children to move to other and unregulated competitors. – It may well happen that children and young people are transferred to other platforms that are even worse, moderated and looked after, and where there is even more destructive content, she says. – If children are kicked out of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, do they end up on even worse social media? – Yes, of course that could be a possible consequence. Want balance – We have to figure this out before we come up with a solution, replies Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) to news. Kjersti Toppe and the government are working to introduce age limits in social media. But in the first instance we will not get a technical block. Photo: Agnieszka Iwanska / news Toppe is eager for an age limit, but mentions, among other things, the right to participate in society and privacy as important areas to investigate first. – There is a balance between different conditions and values, says Toppe. – It is not new that people think of an age limit when there are things and conditions that can be harmful for an entire group of children. We still stand by that, and we are working on how we can make it happen in the best way, says the minister. – Aren’t children and young people locked out of the social debate? – Children have a constitutional right to participation, right to information and freedom of expression. But this is coming. We have to make it happen in the best way. Otherwise, it will be entirely up to the parents or the children themselves, says Toppe. Possible to make rules Instead of a technical age limit, where people have to present BankID, identification, or another form of confirmation that they are over 15 to open social media, the Consumer Council is asking for better regulation of the services and the companies behind them them. – We simply ask that you ban massive online surveillance, that you ban addictive mechanisms, that you ensure that the authorities enforce the regulations we have today. And that those sanctions actually sting, says consumer director Blyverket. She believes that it is entirely possible to create rules that limit the large technology companies. – But then you have to be willing to do it. And if something is regulated, the supervisory authorities can also say: This is illegal. They can then decide on fines and other types of punishment. Circumventing age limits Another concern is whether children and young people will evade the age limit, in one way or another. – It is quite obvious that these verification solutions will probably create more problems than they solve. It may seem like a tempting solution to a big problem, but for many it will either mean that they will not have their basic rights safeguarded, or that there will be greater differences between children, says Blyverket. The Consumer Council’s Inger Lise Blyverket calls for a ban on massive surveillance and addictive mechanisms online. Photo: Aslak Borgersrud – It’s probably not as difficult as many of us adults think. – So you get a schoolyard where half of the children are on social media, and half are not? – That is what we all really want to avoid, says Blyverket. Could come in 2025 Kjersti Toppe says that the government is now working on an age limit in the privacy legislation, while the work on a technical age limit is somewhat ahead of schedule. – I hope at least we can say something more about this in the spring, says Toppe. Published 14.11.2024, at 06.01
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– Not as difficult as adults think – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
