Faroe Islands continue work on social media age limits

The Faroe Islands will continue efforts to protect children and young people from social media, Prime Minister Beinir Johannesen said, despite a warning from the European Commission, KVF reported.

Nordic leaders issued a joint statement on Tuesday pledging to work on age limits for social media and to remove mobile phones from schools. The initiative suffered a setback when the European Commission said it would not approve new national laws restricting social media in EU member states for at least the next 12 months.

Denmark, Sweden and Finland, which are EU members, must wait for common EU legislation in the area. That legislation is unlikely to arrive before 2029, Danish member of the European Parliament Christel Schaldemose told DR.

In the Faroe Islands, a working group is preparing recommendations on how to protect children and young people from technology companies. The group is expected to submit them to politicians in early 2027, after which the coalition can consider how to proceed, Johannesen said.

Johannesen said he could not say when an age limit for social media might be introduced. The Ministry of Education is also working to clarify rules on mobile phones in schools, he said, adding that more information would follow soon.