Norway's under-16 social media ban to also cover games

The Norwegian government is preparing to expand its social media ban for children under 16 to also cover online games and messaging applications. The bill is targeted to be submitted to parliament by the end of the year.

Games and Messaging Applications Included in the Scope

The Norwegian government is finalizing the bill, which goes beyond traditional social media platforms, with the goal of submitting it to parliament by the end of the year. It was stated that the new regulation aims to protect children from harmful content, addictive features, illegal advertising, and unwanted contact from strangers. Norwegian Minister of Children and Families Lene Vågslid emphasized that the legislative work is nearly complete.

While broad exemptions were initially expected to be granted to online games and messaging services, the government abandoned this approach and decided to evaluate platforms based on their potential risks to children. With this change, Roblox is expected to fall under the new ban alongside TikTok and Snapchat. It is stated that harmless services, such as messaging applications used for school communication, may remain accessible.

Age Verification Responsibility and Developments in Europe

Under the new rules, the responsibility for verifying users' age will be placed directly on tech companies. The age verification systems to be established will need to be fully compliant with European data protection rules. The Norwegian government had published a draft in 2025 proposing an age limit of 15, and raised the limit to 16 in April of this year.

Norway is among the European countries taking action to restrict children's access to social media. While Denmark has implemented similar restrictions, Spain continues its work on a ban for students under 16. Although France's ban for those under 15 introduced in September was annulled by the Constitutional Council, the European Commission also proposed the EU Child Act in September.