Dutch government recommends children under 15 stay off TikTok and Instagram

Key Points

• Government advises parents to keep children under 15 off TikTok and Instagram due to risks of panic attacks, depression and sleep disturbances.
• Health Ministry encourages limiting screentime to 20 minutes followed by two hours of outdoor play and keeping devices out of bedrooms.
• Guidelines are non-binding and distinguish addictive social media sites from messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal, which remain allowed from age 13.
• The Netherlands joins Australia, Denmark, France and Sweden in considering or implementing restrictions to protect children’s physical and mental health from intense social media use.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government advised parents on Tuesday not to have children under 15 use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, citing psychological and physical problems among children using them, including panic attacks, depression and difficulties sleeping.

The Ministry of Health also encouraged parents to limit how long their children spend using electronic devices, keep phones and laptops out of bedrooms, and have 20 minutes of screentime followed by two hours of outside play.

The advisory “gives children the time to further develop digital resilience and media literacy,” Vincent Karremans, caretaker deputy minister for youth and sport, said in a letter to parliament. Karremans is one of several ministers who remained on after the Dutch government collapsed earlier this month pending October elections.

Both TikTok and Instagram require users to be at least 13 years of age.

The guidelines, which are not legally binding, distinguish between “social media” sites like TikTok and Instagram and “social interaction platforms” such as messaging services WhatsApp and Signal. The social media sites have “significantly more additive design features” that have a negative impact on children, the government said.

Children can use the messaging services from age 13, the year most Dutch children start secondary school, according to the recommendations.

Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from using social media. Denmark and France are considering similar legislation and Sweden issued recommendations about limiting screentime for kids last year.

A group of experts, put together at the request of the Dutch parliament, found that intense screentime and social media usage can result in physical and psychological problems in children.

Dutch schools have banned students from using tablets, cell phones and smart watches, with some exceptions, such as classes on media literacy.

In May, some 1,400 doctors and child welfare experts in the Netherlands signed a public letter, calling on the government to ban children under 14 from having cell phones and restricting social media usage until age 16.

In February, Dutch Queen Máxima said that her youngest daughter, Princess Ariane, had eyesight problems from spending too much time on mobile devices.