Dutch cabinet to recommend age 15 minimum for social media use
The Dutch caretaker cabinet is preparing to advise parents not to allow children under 15 to use social media and to wait until they are in group 8 before giving them a smartphone, according to sources cited by NOS and RTL. The recommendations will reportedly be part of a new national guideline on “Healthy Screen Use,” to be presented on Tuesday by State Secretary Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sports, VVD).
The guideline, which is advisory and not legally binding, is intended to support parents in managing their children’s digital habits. It is allegedly recommended to set the minimum age for social media use — including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook — at 15. Children should not receive their first phone before reaching group 8, the final year of primary school.
The proposal follows months of pressure from parents, scientists, and a majority in the Tweede Kamer to limit young people’s access to smartphones and social media. In March, a parliamentary motion by D66 lawmaker Hanneke van der Werf and NSC’s Jesse Six Dijkstra called on the cabinet to introduce a minimum age, with 15 as a suggested benchmark. The motion also urged the cabinet to coordinate with other European countries. Similar age limits have been proposed in Denmark and France.
A recent panel survey showed that four out of five Dutch parents support restricting social media access until age 15. One parent told the broadcaster, “You wouldn’t leave the liquor cabinet open either.”
The upcoming guideline will also include screen time recommendations for toddlers and preschoolers, with those details expected to be released alongside the full proposal.
Earlier, more than 1,400 doctors, researchers, and child development experts issued a public letter calling on the cabinet to set clear age limits. They advised that children should not own a smartphone before age 14 and should not access social media before 16, citing serious risks to physical and mental health.
