Give children access to WhatsApp from the age of thirteen and TikTok and Instagram only from the age of fifteen. This is stated in a new recommendation from the caretaker government. The recommendation should offer parents more guidance in the media education of their children.
Part of the cabinet’s guideline already leaked to the media on Monday. Outgoing State Secretary Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sport) officially presented the full advice to the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon.
The guideline is based on a study by a group of Dutch scientists, experts and social organizations. They write that an age limit of thirteen is a “recognizable, achievable and easily defensible age limit for educators, schools and policymakers”.
According to the researchers, it is good to give children access to chat apps such as WhatsApp from the age of thirteen under supervision. If children are digitally skilled and media-wise, they can switch to other social media platforms, such as Instagram or TikTok, with the permission of their parents. The cabinet has set the age of fifteen in the guideline.
The debate about the negative effects of smartphones and social media has become increasingly clear in politics and society recently. Parent initiatives such as Smartphonevrij Opgroeien have long advocated clear guidelines in this area.
In the report, the researchers emphasize that social media do not only pose risks to the development of young people. The platforms can also help young people maintain friendships, explore their own identity, express themselves and connect with like-minded people.
The cabinet’s guideline is emphatically not a ban. The wish is that the advice, including a national campaign, will create more awareness to bring about a social change in behavior.
“Social media can be fun and connecting, but its addictive effect also has a huge downside,” says the State Secretary. “We want children to be able to grow up healthy and safely and support parents in this.”
Until now, there was no clear advice from the cabinet for parents about responsible screen and social media use. “That is why we are now coming up with a clear, unambiguous guideline to help them with this,” says Karremans.
The guideline with the minimum ages is in line with what other countries advise. France, Denmark and Norway have also issued this type of advice. In Australia, there is even a ban on the use of social media for young people under the age of fifteen.
The government’s advice also includes recommendations for maximum screen times per age category. For example, screen time is not recommended for children younger than two years. The advice for young people aged twelve and older is to spend no more than three hours a day behind a screen.