Majority of Dutch want to ban social media during parliamentary debates

A large majority (82 percent) of Dutch voters want to ban parliamentarians and Cabinet members from posting on or reading social media during parliamentary debates, EenVandaag found in a survey of 22,000 members of its opinion panel. Politicians should listen to each other instead of posting online, one respondent said.

Voters mainly consider it “rude” and “indecent” for politicians to be on their phones during a debate. “I think politicians should pay attention to the people who are speaking and not be on their phones,” one VVD voter said. “That is simply respect for the speakers.”

Politicians posting online about each other also sometimes distracts from the content of the debate and is bad for mutual relations, respondents said. Several mentioned the debate on the Schoof I Cabinet’s government statement in July as an example. PVV deputy prime minister Fleur Agema put a post about headscarves on X. After that, the debate focused mainly on her post and not on government policy.

Several PVV voters also mentioned this moment as an example of why social media should be banned in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. 76 percent of PVV voters want a “Twitter ban” during debates, according to EenVandaag.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof recently banned electronic devices from Cabinet meetings over espionage concerns. Many respondents drew comparisons to that decision. “Just like during ministerial meetings: gadgets in a safe,” a PVV voter said.

Some voters are against a social media ban during parliamentary debates, saying that politicians posting about the debate creates openness and could involve more people in politics. Others think politicians shouldn’t post during debates but find a ban too extreme. "We have already 'banned' far too many things. Use your common sense and remain honest. Don't post everything, especially not during an ongoing debate," said an SGP voter.