Norway plans to ban social media use by children under 16 Norway and Türkiye have decided to follow in the footsteps of Australia, and bring in a ban on social media apps for children. Norway on Friday (April 24) said that the government is planning to present a bill in parliament seeking a ban on children using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and more. The proposal will be to ban children from accessing these social media platforms until they turn 16 years. However, as of now the Norway government has not mentioned which social media platforms will be included in this ban. Meanwhile, Australia's ban covers Meta apps such as Instagram and Facebook as well as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter. Also Read | 'I Stayed Away From Social Media': This CBSE Topper Scored 99.8% By Choosing Books, Sports Over Chaos The Norway government plans to introduce the bill by year-end. "We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement to local media. "Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens. This is an important measure to safeguard children's digital lives." Norway government's announcement comes at a time when Türkiye's parliament also passed legislation banning the use of social media by people under the age of 15. However, Türkiye's law also adds game software companies. Meanwhile, YouTube in a statement on Friday claimed that the company has invested for over a ?decade in children's safety to ensure its platforms deliver age-appropriate experiences that also empower parents. "That way, we preserve access to learning for ?millions and avoid pushing young people onto less safe places on the internet," the company said. A few months ago Australia and Indonesia had announced a ban on social media for children aged below 16 years. The Netherlands, on the other hand, has strictly prohibited the carrying of smartphones into the classrooms. Other countries, including Greece, France, Denmark, Malaysia, Spain and Germany, are also following in their footsteps, but an effective rollout is still pending. In India, Karnataka also imposed a ban on the use of social media for children under 16 to avoid encounters with restricted content or social media addiction. Andhra Pradesh, too, is mulling a ban on the usage of social media for children below 13 years of age for similar reasons. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Education, CBSE, JEE, UPSC and around the world. Deeksha Teri is currently working as an Assistant Editor at Times Now (Digital), and is primarily covering education and policy from New Delhi, which ... View More