Norway plans social media ban for children under 16

The Norwegian government announced plans on Monday to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms deemed harmful. This move aims to address risks including addictive features, exposure to harmful content, illegal marketing, and contact from strangers. The proposal would hold technology companies responsible for age verification. While the government did not name specific platforms in April, The Korea Times reports that Monday's announcement included TikTok, Snapchat, and the gaming service Roblox.

According to Euronews, the government has decided to assess platforms based on their potential risks to children, despite initial expectations that online games and messaging services would receive broad exemptions. The Daily Times reports that Norway intends to present a bill to parliament by the end of 2026. This initiative follows a similar ban implemented in Australia last December.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, The Korea Times, Euronews — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.