According to Fortune, Denmark’s government announced plans to ban social media access for anyone under 15, with some parents potentially able to grant access from age 13 after assessment. Danish Digital Affairs Minister Caroline Stage revealed that 94% of Danish children under 13 already have profiles on at least one platform, and more than half of those under 10 do too. The ban won’t take effect immediately—allied lawmakers will need months to pass legislation, and Denmark plans to use its national electronic ID system and age-verification app for enforcement. Stage criticized tech giants for having “absurd amounts of money” but not investing in safety, warning that platforms could face fines up to 6% of global income for non-compliance. This follows Australia’s recent ban setting the minimum age at 16, with similar concerns about children’s exposure to harmful content.
The enforcement headache
Here’s the thing: we’ve been here before. Platforms already technically ban under-13s, yet nearly all Danish kids under 13 are on these apps. So how exactly does Denmark plan to succeed where current systems have failed? The national ID system sounds promising—almost all citizens over 13 have one—but what about kids using parents’ devices or accounts? And let’s be real: tech-savvy teenagers have been circumventing age restrictions since the dawn of the internet. Stage admits they “cannot force the tech giants to use our app,” which basically means we’re back to relying on the same companies that created this mess to now solve it. It’s like asking foxes to guard the henhouse while promising bigger fines.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum
Denmark’s move is part of a much larger global pattern. China has set strict limits on online gaming and smartphone time for kids. France is investigating TikTok over suicide content allegations. The EU’s Digital Services Act already prohibits under-13s from holding accounts. But here’s what’s different: Denmark is going further than most Western democracies by essentially saying “if you can’t keep our kids safe, you can’t have them at all.” It’s a nuclear option that reflects growing desperation among policymakers. Parents and educators everywhere are seeing the same thing—disrupted sleep, lost concentration, digital relationship pressures that adults can’t easily monitor or control.
How platforms are reacting
TikTok’s response is telling—they “recognize the importance” of Denmark’s initiative while touting their “robust trust and safety track record” with “50 preset safety features.” Meta didn’t even bother commenting. But let’s be honest: these platforms have had years to get this right. Stage isn’t wrong when she says they’ve had “so many chances to stand up and do something.” The business models themselves are the problem—engagement-driven algorithms that prioritize time-on-platform over user wellbeing. When your revenue depends on keeping eyeballs glued to screens, can you really be trusted to protect vulnerable children from harmful content? Apparently Denmark thinks not.
The road ahead
This won’t be resolved quickly. Stage said Denmark will “hurry, but we won’t do it too quickly,” acknowledging they need airtight legislation without loopholes. Meanwhile, other countries are watching to see if this approach actually works. The bigger question is whether age verification technology can ever be effective enough to make such bans enforceable. And what about the inevitable workarounds? If Denmark succeeds, we could see a domino effect across Europe. If it fails, we’re back to square one with even more evidence that regulating social media is like trying to hold water in your hands. Either way, the conversation about protecting kids online just got a lot more serious.
