The Nordic countries have joined forces to protect children and young people from the influence of major technology companies, signing a joint declaration known as the Marienborg Manifesto. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, 27 October in Helsinki, brings together Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, along with Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland, in a shared push for tougher digital rules.
According to reporting by Danish news agency Ritzau, the leaders want closer cooperation on digital regulation across the Nordic region and beyond, arguing that the way digital technology is designed and used can undermine children’s concentration, learning and wellbeing.
FAKTA
- What: The Marienborg Manifesto, a joint Nordic declaration on children and technology.
- Announced: 27 October 2026, in connection with a Nordic government meeting in Helsinki.
- Who signed: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, plus Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland.
- Key demands: Tougher regulation of large technology companies, social media age limits, and schools free of private smart devices.
- Denmark’s step: A social media age limit of 15, expected to take effect in July 2027.
What the Nordic countries want to change
The declaration calls for tougher regulation of large technology companies, age limits for social media, and action to remove personal smart devices from schools. It also urges action against addictive algorithms and design features on social media platforms.
Age limits on the way
Several Nordic governments are already moving on their own. Denmark has decided to introduce a social media age limit of 15, expected to take effect in July 2027, according to Ritzau. Norway has proposed a separate minimum-age system tied to the calendar year in which a child turns 16, and in October its government said its planned bill would target so-called harmful platforms, naming services such as TikTok, Roblox and Snapchat among those likely to be covered.
A shared position, not yet a shared law
The manifesto itself does not establish new, enforceable rules across the region. Instead, it sets out a shared political commitment: the governments will continue work on national and European social media age limits, explore stricter rules for technology companies, and press for a school environment free of private smart devices.
The wider European picture
The Nordic push comes as Europe debates the same questions. At EU level, the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act in September 2026, including a minimum age of 15 for opening a social media account independently. Australia took the lead last December with the world’s first under-16 social media ban, and several European nations have since sought to rein in children’s social media use.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said governments allowed screens into children’s lives too uncritically, with consequences for young people and society, public broadcaster DR reported. The declaration is therefore intended to give the Nordic governments a common position in negotiations with technology companies, rather than to introduce an immediate Nordic-wide ban.
Conclusion
For now, the Marienborg Manifesto is a statement of intent. Its effect will depend on the national measures that follow — Denmark’s age limit in 2027, Norway’s bill, and the wider European rules — and on how much influence the Nordic governments can exert over the world’s largest technology companies.
