”The grip that social media has on children's time and reality must be broken. Harmful content and addictive algorithms must be pushed back to strengthen the protection of children's health, security and well-being. Now we are investigating how a sharp age limit on social media can be designed in Sweden”, says Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed (KD) in a press release.
What does ”a sharp age limit” mean? To SVT Forssmed says that a limit of 15 or 16 years is often mentioned in other countries where the discussions are being held.
In the survey ”Youth and media” from 2023, made by the Media Authority, it emerged that about 50 percent of teenagers think they use their mobile phone too much and that it affects both homework and sleep. 15 percent in the age category 9–12 years stated that they had seen unpleasant images, for example of dead people from war or shootings.
”The fight against screens and algorithms continues. The government is now taking the next step to get an age limit for social media. This is crucial because we know that a high school student on average spends 6.5 hours in front of the screen – every day, after school. We see the consequences in the form of increased mental illness, body anxiety, sleep deprivation and deteriorated school results", says Minister of Education and Integration Simona Mohamsson (L).
Lisa Englund Krafft, chief of staff at the Supreme Administrative Court, has been appointed as a special investigator, and will submit an interim report on June 12, 2026, followed by a final report on November 14 of the same year.
