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Half of Norway's 9 and 10-year-olds are on social media. The age limit is 13

The age limit for social media is 13. Even so, half of Norway's 9 and 10-year-olds are on it, according to the Norwegian Media Authority's report 'Fanget i feeden'. I don't think that gap is down to parents who don't care. It's down to every family facing the decision alone, at a point where 'everyone else has it' is often uncomfortably close to the truth.

By Øyvind Østmo4 minPublished 1 Aug 2026

The short version

The age limit for social media is 13, but the Norwegian Media Authority's 'Fanget i feeden' report found 51 per cent of 9 and 10-year-olds there anyway, along with 74 per cent of 11 and 12-year-olds. 87 per cent of the youngest have their own phone, though that share is falling, so more parents are holding off a little longer than before. The gap between rule and reality is the whole parenting dilemma in one number. Nobody wants their child left standing outside.

Jump to the step you can take today ↓

What the report found

In February, the Norwegian Media Authority published "Fanget i feeden" (caught in the feed), a report built on the Barn og medier 2026 survey of 1,753 children aged 9 to 18. For the youngest, the numbers tell a clear story:

51 per cent of 9 and 10-year-olds use social media, age limit of 13 notwithstanding. That's down from 57 per cent in 2024. Among 11 and 12-year-olds the figure is 74 per cent, down from 82.
87 per cent of 9 and 10-year-olds have their own phone. Also down, from 93 per cent in 2024.
The share of 9 and 10-year-olds who wish they logged off more often has more than doubled in two years, from 10 to 22 per cent.

Before anyone pops the champagne, though: the kids haven't logged off, they've moved. Among 9 and 10-year-olds, Snapchat has dropped from 20 to 12 per cent in two years, while Roblox has climbed from 70 to 80. And Roblox and YouTube run on many of the same mechanisms as social media: a personalised stream, notifications, chat and visible likes. The Media Authority's own take is that the line between “gaming platform” and “social media” is losing its meaning. What matters is the features, not the label.

The rule says 13, reality says otherwise

In practice, the age limit is enforced by a birth date the child types in themselves. Which means the real decision gets made at each family's kitchen table, and the maths looks different there than it does in an app's terms of service. I call it “the age limit gap”: once half the class is in before anyone turns 11, saying no means your child is shut out of something that's genuinely happening. The chat where the birthday party gets planned. The jokes everyone's laughing at in break. The photos from the weekend. None of that is small to a nine-year-old, and the parents who say yes know it.

So the gap isn't evidence that Norwegian parents have given up. It's a dilemma where both exits cost something. Say yes, and your child gets apps designed for older teenagers, with mechanics the report shows do more to steer the use than the kids' own choices do. Say no, and you're accepting a social cost on your child's behalf, and it's real.

Once half the class is in, “everyone else has it” isn't nagging. It's close to a statement of fact.

No finger-pointing

If your nine-year-old is already there, this piece isn't a verdict. It's a reminder that you're not alone, whichever side of the gap you're on. And there's genuine encouragement in the numbers for anyone waiting. The Media Authority reports that fewer of the youngest are on Snapchat and TikTok than two years ago, and phone ownership among the youngest is falling too. More families are holding off a little longer, and every family that waits makes waiting a little easier for the next one. Whatever you land on, the thing that matters most is that the door stays open, so your child shows you what's happening in there.

Talking with your kids

“I know several kids in your class are on Snapchat or TikTok, and that being left out feels rubbish. The age limit is 13, and we've decided to stick to it. Not because I don't trust you, but because those apps are built for older teenagers. And until you get there, I'll help you stay part of what's going on, in real life.”

Closing thoughts

I've spent years on the strict side of the gap, and my 15-year-old daughter has challenged me on what it's cost her socially. So I know waiting has a price, and I won't pretend otherwise. But when half a year group is on social media, I don't think the answer is for the other half to hurry after them. The answer is parents in the class talking to each other, so the decision stops being one each family makes alone, against the feeling that “everyone else” has already made up their minds.

Something you can do today

Text another parent in the class: “Hi! Where have you landed on social media? We're still trying to work it out in our house.” You're almost certainly not the only one wondering, and two families who know about each other stand steadier than one.

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Is your child's class in the middle of this right now? Send this to another parent, ideally with the question of where they've landed.