After Australia, Norway is set to prohibit social media use for those under 16 years old.

      The minority Labour government, headed by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, revealed the new legislation on Friday. The age limit has been increased from the previously suggested 15 years in the 2025 consultation, bringing Norway in line with Australia's pioneering ban that was implemented in December. Ireland is also contemplating similar legislation.

      On Friday, Norway's minority Labour government announced its intention to introduce a law that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, assigning the responsibility of age verification to the technology firms operating those platforms. Prime Minister Støre articulated the proposal as an effort to reclaim childhood from the effects of algorithms. "We are putting this legislation in place because we want a childhood where children can simply be children," he stated. “Play, friendships, and daily life should not be dominated by algorithms and screens. This is a crucial step in protecting children's digital experiences.”

      The bill is scheduled for introduction to parliament by the end of 2026. This announcement signifies a notable intensification from the government's previous legislative stance. When Norway put forth its social media age limit proposal for public consultation in June 2025, the suggested limit was 15 years, not 16. This consultation garnered over 8,000 responses, indicating a significant public interest that Digitalisation Minister Karianne Tung noted at the time. The government has reviewed this feedback and decided to raise the age limit by one year, aligning Norway with Australia rather than the EU’s GDPR minimum age of 13 for data processing consent.

      The change from 15 to 16 is not merely a minor administrative detail; it reflects a political assessment indicating that the feedback from the consultation, along with Australia’s early enforcement data, justifies adopting a stricter standard. The reference to Australia is a key element in the Norwegian government's approach. Australia’s ban on social media for users under 16, which is the first of its kind globally, took effect in December 2025. By February 2026, authorities in Australia reported that over 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under 16 had been deactivated or removed since the introduction of these restrictions. Although the enforcement record may not be flawless, it has provided a valuable real-world example regarding the effectiveness of a legislative ban in ensuring compliance from platforms.

      Norway is monitoring this situation carefully. Digitalisation Minister Tung had previously stated to MLex that age verification "requires Europe to act in unison," emphasizing that any effective strategy must involve cross-border coordination to prevent evasion through VPNs or access from outside the country.

      The mechanism for the ban is as crucial as the age limit itself. Under the proposed Norwegian law, social media companies—defined as platforms allowing users to create profiles, connect with others, and share content without editorial oversight—will be required to implement robust age verification processes. The responsibility for verifying age will shift from the child, who currently self-reports, to the platform. Norway’s established digital identity framework, BankID, is expected to be integral to the verification process. Non-compliant platforms will face penalties, with the consultation draft suggesting fines of up to NOK 20 million.

      Additionally, the government has proposed increasing the GDPR consent age for processing children's data from 13 to 15 years, a modification each EU member state can independently make under GDPR’s Article 8 provisions.

      Certain categories are anticipated to be exempt from the ban, including video games, e-commerce platforms, and private groups used for educational or sports coordination. The Norwegian app Spond, commonly utilized by sports clubs to organize activities, was mentioned by Tung as an example of the type of closed, purpose-driven platform that would not be affected by the law.

      The exemption aspect poses significant technical and political challenges in the context of a social media age ban: the distinction between a "social media platform" and a messaging service, gaming community, or sports coordination tool is often ambiguous, despite the outright prohibition suggested.

      Norway is not acting independently, as Ireland has also indicated it is considering a path similar to that of Australia. France instituted age verification requirements for social media in 2023. The UK’s Online Safety Act, which was rolled out in phases throughout 2024 and 2025, imposes strict obligations on platforms to prevent children from encountering harmful content, although it does not implement a direct age ban. The European Commission, through the Digital Services Act, mandates platforms to evaluate and address systemic risks to minors, yet it has not established a minimum age requirement.

      As a non-EU member, but a participant in the EEA, Norway is choosing to adopt measures that go beyond what the DSA framework stipulates. This approach reflects both domestic political pressures and a broader Nordic willingness to regulate platform behavior more assertively than what is seen in Brussels.