Norway said on ​Friday it would present a bill in parliament ⁠by year-end to ⁠ban children from using social media until they turn ​16, making technology companies ​responsible for ⁠the task of age verification.

Several European nations seeking to rein in children's use of social media after Australia took the lead with a world-first ban on under-16s last December.

"We are introducing this legislation ⁠because we ⁠want a childhood where children get to be children," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.

"Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and ⁠screens. This is an important measure to safeguard children's digital lives."

The government did ​not say which applications would be targeted.

Australia's ​ban covers Meta apps such as Instagram and ⁠Facebook ‌as ‌well as TikTok, Snapchat, ⁠Google's YouTube and Elon ‌Musk's X, formerly Twitter.

Norway will ​introduce its bill ⁠in parliament by ⁠the end of 2026, the minority ⁠Labour government ​said.