Norway: Government opened consultation on proposed law mandating 15-year minimum age criteria for social media use

On 7 July 2025, the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs and the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Administration opened a consultation on the law mandating a 15-year minimum age for social media use, until 7 October 2025. The law aims to protect children from potential harm, including exposure to criminal content. Providers must implement effective age verification. Services allowing public profiles, networking, and user-uploaded content are covered. However, certain services, including online marketplaces, job or housing listings, online games, closed educational or leisure groups, political or civic groups, and messaging applications, are exempt. Authorities will supervise compliance, with fines and penalties for breaches.