Denmark Plans Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

Published OCT 8

story

Above: Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen attends a press conference after attending the European Political Community (EPC) on Oct. 2, 2025. Image copyright: Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Denmark's social media ban protects children from digital colonization that's destroying their attention spans and social skills. Schools without phones create better learning environments where kids actually talk to each other instead of staring at screens for 8-10 hours daily. This pushback against commercialized childhood gives young people the pause they desperately need.

Guardian

Establishment-critical narrative

Social media bans undermine young people's privacy and expression rights while letting platforms off the hook for making safer products. Age verification systems expose minors to discrimination and data collection risks without addressing the real problems of poor content moderation. Banning vulnerable users changes nothing about exploitative business models.

Electronic Frontier Foundation