11-year-old criticises government’s proposed social media age limit

The Swedish government’s proposal to raise the minimum age for social media use to 15 has drawn scepticism from younger users, with one 11-year-old calling the restriction ineffective, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

Elliot Embring, 11, told SVT’s Lilla Aktuellt that children would bypass any age limit. “It doesn’t matter what the age restriction is—those who aren’t allowed will still find a way to use it,” he said.

Classmates echoed his concerns, arguing the threshold was set too high. Theodora Camp-Nehaul, 12, suggested she would allow 15-year-olds unrestricted access if she were in charge. Others pointed to the arbitrary impact on children born late in the year, with Embring noting the unfairness for those with December birthdays.

The government announced the proposal on Tuesday. No enforcement details were provided.