Norway To Increase Minimum Age Limit On Social Media To 15 To Protect Children (theguardian.com) 7
Norway plans to enforce a strict minimum social media age of 15 to protect children from harmful content and the influence of algorithms. The Guardian reports: The Scandinavian country already has a minimum age limit of 13 in place. Despite this, more than half of nine-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds and 72% of 11-year-olds are on social media, according to research by the Norwegian media authority. The government has pledged to introduce more safeguards to prevent children from getting around the age restrictions -- including amending the Personal Data Act so that social media users must be 15 years old to agree that the platform can handle their personal data, and developing an age verification barrier for social media.
"It sends quite a strong signal," the prime minister told the newspaper VG on Wednesday. "Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. These are big tech giants pitted against small children's brains. We know that this is an uphill battle, because there are strong forces here, but it is also where politics is needed." While he said he understood that social media could offer lonely children a community, self-expression must not be in the power of algorithms. "On the contrary, it can cause you to become single-minded and pacified, because everything happens so fast on this screen," he added. "It is also about giving parents the security to say no," said Kjersti Toppe, the minister for children and families. "We know that many people really want to say no, but don't feel they can."
"It sends quite a strong signal," the prime minister told the newspaper VG on Wednesday. "Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. These are big tech giants pitted against small children's brains. We know that this is an uphill battle, because there are strong forces here, but it is also where politics is needed." While he said he understood that social media could offer lonely children a community, self-expression must not be in the power of algorithms. "On the contrary, it can cause you to become single-minded and pacified, because everything happens so fast on this screen," he added. "It is also about giving parents the security to say no," said Kjersti Toppe, the minister for children and families. "We know that many people really want to say no, but don't feel they can."
Re: (Score:1)
As for the young, 18 is the age, because 18 is when you can get conscripted, again in the USA.
As for why that hasnt change, well.... the young dont vote.So their voice is stifled by their lack of care. 2020, they saw more 18+ vote because of school shootings 2022, the same. But its still not enough for the pol
Re: Voting age (Score:2)
Because rsilvergun doesn't have a young children's brain. His formative years are long past. As are those of most slashdot posters, I suspect.
Addiction is a separate problem which can affect all ages. It cannot be legislated away. At best, treatment can be offered. Social media rehab. I went off cold turkey on facebook and reddit. Slashdot is one of the few places I still post.
The Law We Have Doesn't Work... (Score:4, Interesting)
Umm does this make absolutely no sense to anyone besides me?
Laws tend to end up very broken when even 9 year olds won't follow them. They require, before they can actually be laws, the mandate of the people.
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We saw with Brazil they do have powers they can leverage against these companies (not so much in the USA, there are some abilities to "protect the children", but its limited due to first amendment).
Anyways, the company simply implements an "age verification" which we all know is just a BS thing, and it takes the companies out of the issues they, in fact, produce with these kids.
The wh
Re: (Score:3)
How is this supposed to be enforced?
And is there something special about the age of 15?
(where I come from you weren.t legally allowed to leave school, or drive a motor vehicle, until age 15. And I think there is something special about the age of 15 in the Hispanic culture...)