Denmark's government aims to ban access to social media for children under 15

Denmark just slammed the brakes on teen scrolling: the government plans to block anyone under 15 from social media, with rare parent-approved exceptions at 13 after an assessment. Officials say kids are drowning in violent and self-harm content, and they’re eyeing an age-check app tied to Denmark’s national ID. They even hint at EU-level fines up to 6% of global revenue for platforms that don’t verify ages. Translation: Big Tech, meet Big Stick.

The comments section? Pure fireworks. The “protect the kids” crowd calls social media a digital drug, with one user blasting today’s feeds as “asocial media.” Others want the bar even higher—“make it 18”—while one comedian begged, “raise it to 115.” But the pushback is fierce: skeptics warn this is a backdoor to kill online anonymity, the classic “it’s for the children” play. Some point to Denmark’s role in pushing EU “Chat Control” (policies seen as invasive) and ask whether this is privacy erosion in safety’s clothing. Meanwhile, practical minds ask: how do you actually enforce this when 94% of under-13s already have profiles? The government vows no loopholes, no rush—but the internet has questions, jokes, and serious side-eye, all at once.