The government has appointed a special commission to investigate the possibility of introducing an age limit for social media. A first interim report will be presented in June. But the Moderates are already making it clear that the party wants to see just that.
I think 15 years is natural, says Ulf Kristersson.
The age limit should apply to major platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, says the Prime Minister.
But you have to look at that when designing the legislation itself. The more similar legislation you have around Europe, the better, I think.
More countries are facing the issue
The issue of age limits on social media is now being raised in more and more countries. Australia and Malaysia have recently introduced a 16-year age limit and France is moving towards a 15-year age limit. The issue is also being discussed at EU level.
In Sweden, the Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals have previously said that they too want to see a 15-year age limit. The Centre Party has also spoken out in favor of some form of age limit.
The big question is how to verify age to ensure that those who are too young do not access the platforms. Ulf Kristersson does not have an answer for exactly how this will work.
"It's very important that it's credible. If it were easy to get around it, it would be completely pointless," he says, adding:
It is also important to preserve privacy in this. It should be a system where you verify your age and can then maintain your anonymity.
“Won't love it”
But it's not just the technical solutions that are needed for it to work, says Kristersson. He believes that a lively discussion among Swedish parents is needed for a sharp boundary to work.
"I'm not sure all teenagers will love this. So I think it will take a certain amount of consensus in the adult world for this to work," he says.
