Age ban on Facebook, Instagram and more: Sweden plans to go Australia way, but for a different reason

Swedish ministers are considering imposing age restrictions on social media platforms. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, ministers in the Swedish government are planning to introduce such restrictions if major social media platforms fail to prevent gangs from recruiting young people for violent crimes. This comes as Sweden grapples with a surge in gang violence, leading to the highest per capita shooting rate in Europe. In recent years, gangs have increasingly used social media platforms as “digital marketplaces” to recruit teenagers, some as young as 11, to carry out murders and bombings in Nordic countries. This alarming trend has prompted the Sweden government to consider age limits as a potential solution if tech companies fail to effectively address the issue.