[GLOBAL ECONOMIC TIMES]  Norway is raising the minimum age limit for using social networking services (SNS) to 15 to protect children.

According to the British Guardian on the 23rd (local time), Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Garster said in an interview, “Politicians must intervene to protect children from the so-called power of algorithms. “It’s going to be an uphill battle against the tech giants,” he said.

He also said, “SNS sends out a very powerful stimulus,” and emphasized, “Children need to be protected from harmful content on it, and politics needs to intervene.”

“We understand that social media can provide a community for lonely children, but self-expression should not be in the power of algorithms,” he said. “It forces children to have a single mindset.”

Prime Minister Stör said that he would introduce measures to prevent children from circumventing age restrictions, such as revising the Personal Information Protection Act and stipulating that the age for consent to use personal information is 15 years or older.

In this regard, Minister of Children and Families Kersti Tope said that restricting children's access to social media is a way to help not only children but also their parents.

“This measure gives parents the power to refuse their children’s requests,” she said, adding that “we are investigating how to implement the measure in a way that does not violate human rights.”

Before this measure was implemented, the minimum age for accessing SNS in Norway was 13. However, the authorities' survey results showed that more than half of 9-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds, and 72% of 11-year-olds were accessing SNS.

Meanwhile, France enacted a law in June last year restricting the use of social media by people under the age of 15 without their guardian's permission.

Australia is also pushing for legislation to restrict children's use of social media. Although the age limit has not been officially determined, media predicts it will most likely be between 14 and 16 years old.

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