This November, Denmark outlined new regulations prohibiting social media access for children under the age of 15. The initiative follows a similar measure implemented by the Australian parliament in December 2024, which limited social media usage to teens over 16.

In discussing the new legislation, Caroline Stage, Denmark’s minister for digital affairs, cites that 94% of Danish children under the age of 13 are active on at least one social media platform, such as Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. On top of that alarming statistic, Stage claims that more than half of Danes (丹麦人) under 10 years old also maintain social media profiles. The country’s landmark measure seeks to address growing concerns surrounding poor mental health in children, reducing exposure to harmful content, bullying, exploitation, and other cyber crimes across the Internet.

It’s not clear how Denmark intends to enforce these new regulations, especially in a world where screens are ubiquitous and when social media platforms already have their own restrictions in place. Many platforms, for example, have already banned children under 13 from accessing their services. TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are among those currently incorporating AI in an effort to verify user ages based on selfies. Even so, these procedures aren’t always effective, thus requiring an additional layer of protection. Caroline Stage hints at employing the country’s national ID system, in which nearly all Danish citizens over the age of 13 participate. An age-verification app based on this system could offer a possible solution.

“We cannot force tech giants to use our app,” Caroline Stage explains, “but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they don’t, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6% of their global income.”

As part of the legislation, parents can grant their teens access to social media after completing a specific assessment. More details have yet to be released by the Danish government.

1. 1.Why does the author cite the data (Para. 2) about children’s social media use in Denmark?

A    To show its popularity.

B    To highlight the urgency.

C    To compare with Australia.

D    To list popular platforms.

2. 2.The word “ubiquitous” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.

A    widespread

B    attractive

C    necessary

D    expensive

3. 3. How can teens in Denmark access social media under the new legislation?

A    By using the national ID system.

B    By getting parental approval.

C    By verifying age through AI selfies.

D    By getting permission from tech giants.

4. 4.What is Caroline Stage’s attitude toward tech giants regarding child protection?

A    Indifferent and neutral.

B    Understanding and patient.

C    Appreciative and cooperative.

D    Critical and determined.