Finland sets tougher guidelines: No social media or smartphones for under-13s

https://yle.fi/a/74-20205877

Comments

hurubawJan 23, 2026, 8:55 AM
Please note: this is a guideline. For parents. Not a law, there will be no DNS filtering or anything by the goverment or ISP:s, but parents of course may install whatever they want to the devices they give to their children.

While I don't see it realistic in any way; Personally I would ban all social media on mobile devices (phones, pads) period. I would permit them only on full fledged laptops and desktops. Basicly putting the reset to the way things were in 2007.

cowboylowrezJan 23, 2026, 11:13 AM
I think the internet should be 18+ no exceptions, its easy to enforce because you have to have physical devices and communications agreements (phone contract, isp to connect to). once a kid actually has internet access its harder to enforce age limits or police behavior problems and additionally severely reduces security for adults also for having to verify their age with sensitive information and documentation. This way if a parent really insists on their child using the internet (sort of like the parent giving their kids alcohol or drugs) we can put the responsibility for the consequences straight on the parents where it was supposed to be all the time.

literally no reason at all why a kid should have internet access.

sureglymopJan 23, 2026, 12:05 PM
I think 18 is extreme. Having been born after the inception of the internet, I couldn't imagine not having had access to it. The amount of books, blog posts, knowledge and I suppose also entertainment/fun I would have missed.. safe to say I would be a completely different person. Never had predatory social media and still don't.

When you go that extreme with it, you hurt every kid that is actually curious and using it in a non destructive way. I largely got into computer science due to the early iOS jailbreak scene that existed from around 2009 to ~2014. I got into Linux because the debian package management tools had been ported over to jailbroken ios. I think if you had stripped this stuff from me as a child I would have been on a path to mischief instead. I don't know when you got your entry into your hobbies/things you're passionate about, though remember that the story can look different for every generation and if you cut off access to information/knowledge from curious kids you may just set them on a completely wrong path.

cowboylowrezJan 23, 2026, 2:18 PM
My first home linux was from a book with a cd lol

Heck I think the MOST sensible way to go about things is to let the parents decide but no, apparently parents (in the US anyways) need to make the entire internet safe for you little snot nosed brats. I think your dad needed to take you out to the woodshed when you jailbroke your phone, I know I would have but I probably wouldn't have bought you one anyways, lest you turn into some sort of freakshow adolescent gooner with a room full of tissue paper sculptures of your animes or whatever you guys are into nowadays.

throwaway81523Jan 23, 2026, 8:12 AM
Maybe we will be able to get decent dumbphones again? All the ones being made now suck, as far as I can tell. OTOH it might be enough to use kiosk mode to lock down a smartphone to only have dumb functionality.
PaianniJan 23, 2026, 2:46 PM
The current HMD 105 4G/110 4G is ok and supports LTE bands common in North America.
zrn900Jan 24, 2026, 12:26 AM
Great way to keep them away from 'undesirable' content until they can get brainwashed by corporate media and the education system.
dyauspitrJan 23, 2026, 8:17 AM
Good though it should be all the way up to 16 or 18
anthkJan 23, 2026, 8:21 AM
Banning computers for children looks anti human rights. You can always set ISP settings for a kid targeted device so they can't install anything outside a subset of software (most of them are propietary anyway) and with the DNS filters set to anything with porn/gambling and the like.
asdf333Jan 23, 2026, 8:45 AM
they're not banning computers. just a few sites...
stefanfiskJan 23, 2026, 9:01 AM
They are not banning anything, just updating the recommendations.