The Norwegian government has announced plans to introduce legislation prohibiting children under 16 from accessing social media, placing the obligation to implement age verification on technology platforms rather than on users. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s minority Labour government said the bill will be brought before Parliament before the end of 2026, following a European Economic Area notification process planned for before summer 2026 and a standard three-month consultation period.
The proposed age limit is structured around birth year rather than individual birthdays. Access would apply from January 1 of the year a child turns 16, meaning entire school cohorts gain platform access simultaneously. Technology companies would bear primary responsibility for implementing age verification at login and for compliance from the first day the law takes effect. The government stated that children cannot bear responsibility for staying away from platforms they are not permitted to use.
“We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children,” said Støre. “Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens.” Karianne Tung, Norway’s minister with responsibility for digital affairs, added: “Children cannot be left with the responsibility for staying away from platforms they are not allowed to use.”
Norway’s proposal goes further than what the EU’s Digital Services Act currently requires, though Norway as an EEA member will incorporate DSA obligations into domestic law as part of this legislative process. The bill follows Australia’s under-16 social media ban enacted in late 2024, which became the first law of its kind to place age verification obligations directly on platforms rather than users. Reporting on how Australia is implementing its social media age checks raised similar questions about which verification methods satisfy platform-side obligations, questions Norway’s proposal also leaves unresolved, as the government has not specified what technical methods will be required.
Within Europe, Germany’s EUDI Wallet age-gate proposal from February 2026 represents one technical model for fulfilling platform-side obligations, illustrating the range of approaches EEA countries are considering. Similar legislative proposals are being prepared in France, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal, and Japan’s government published a parallel review of social media age verification measures the same week.
Sources: Norwegian Government, The Local Norway, The Next Web
–
By the ID Tech Editorial Team
