The Frederiksberg model: 6 rules for more physical community, less screen time
In this issue: Frederiksberg's new recommendations for healthy screen habits; Danish minister shocked by how young kids get smartphones; what twentysomethings wish they'd known about phones as teens
A Facebook post from Frederiksberg Kommune led me to discover this excellent set of recommendations they dubbed the "Frederiksberg model" for good screen habits. It's a really solid document that was developed in close dialogue with parents, student council, school boards and school management. While I encourage you to read the whole document (here in its English AI-translated version), which also has 10 recommendations for schools, after-schools and clubs, below I’ve included the authors' 6 recommendations for parents:
1. Wait to give children a smartphone
Wait to give children smartphones as late as possible and preferably not before the 8th grade. Give children a simple phone (dumbphone) if contact is needed.
Why: Children avoid early dependence on always having the option to be online.
How: Give children a simple phone for contact instead of a smartphone.
2. Respect the age limit of 15 for the use of Social Media
The purpose is for the youngest children to get on social media later. Therefore, let children get on social media as late as possible. It follows from Danish legislation that the age limit for creating a profile on social media without parental consent is 15 years (the data protection act).
Why: Protects children from unwanted influences and pressure from social media at an early age.
How: Let children get on social media as late as possible.
3. Be a digital role model
Make sure to use digital media responsibly yourself and show good digital habits and help children to be equipped for the digital reality.
Why: Children copy their parents' behaviour, also when it comes to digital behaviour.
How: Show responsible use of technology and good digital habits by being a role model for the children.
4. Use parental controls
Use the options that many social media offer to set limits on what your child can see and do online.
Why: Parents can protect children from inappropriate content and online dangers.
How: Activate parental control functions on devices and social media to limit access to harmful content.
5. Start the conversation early and involve the children
Start the conversation about smartphones, etc. early in the schooling process and talk to the children about digital habits.
Why: An early dialogue makes children more aware of their digital habits.
How: Talk to children about digital habits and risks from an early age, and involve them in the decisions.
6. Use parent-teacher meetings to make common agreements
Actively use parent-teacher meetings to discuss and make common agreements for the children in the class in relation to smartphones, social media, etc.
Why: Common guidelines between parents create a coherent digital culture in the class.
How: Discuss and adopt common rules for the use of smartphones and social media at parent-teacher meetings.
Check this out: things worth your attention
🗞️The minister was "completely shocked" when she saw the average age at which Danish children get a smartphone
Danish children are getting younger and younger before they get a smartphone. The average age for children to get their first smartphone is now 8.26 years, according to figures from the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority. The age of debut has moved a full three years forward compared to current 18-25 year olds, who were on average 11.21 years old when they got their first smartphone.
🗞️ Study: Addictive Screen Use Trajectories and Suicidal Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health in US Youths
The new JAMA study looked at 4285 U.S. adolescents, with an average age of 10, to look for a link between addictive screen use and suicidal behavior or ideation, and other mental health concerns. Insights from the study: 48% of young adolescents report losing track of how much they are using their phone, 25% use social media to forget about their problems, and 25% admit to spending a considerable amount of time thinking about social media apps. Furthermore, 17% have tried to reduce their social media use but cannot, and 11% acknowledge that their screen use has negatively affected their schoolwork.
🗞️School smartphone bans - are they effective?
About 145,000 children and 14,000 schools in the UK have signed a pact to increase the age at which smartphones should be used, according to the organisers Smartphone Free Childhood. Campaign spokeswoman Victoria Kazi, a GP, said the campaign recommended no smartphones for under-14s, and no social media for under-16s, after which age "they're more mature and able to cope with the complexity". "I think sometimes parents having conversations with their children about use of phones leads to conflict in the house. But by being universal and absolute in our rule about no phones, we've stopped that being a problem, because the parents know that we won't move. So they can say, 'Well that's what the schools say - we can't do anything about it. Some parents were now able to say to their children 'don't tell me everyone else has got a smartphone because I know about another 20 children in your year who don't'. So it just gives you more support", ms Kazi added.
🗞️ ‘I don’t think my brain should have gone through that’: five young people on their experience of smartphones as teens
Debate and anxiety about teen and preteen access to smartphones and social media is raging. Is giving teenagers smartphones that big a deal? To find out, we asked four twentysomethings who got a smartphone at some point in their teen or preteen years – and one who didn’t.
🗞️ Utah says Snapchat is addictive and harmful for minors. Now it’s suing the app company.
The state’s suit alleges that Snapchat’s image-sharing — where pictures disappear after they are viewed — was designed to entice youth to check the app more often and gave parents a false sense of security. In the meantime, it says, predators took screen captures of images to extort and sexually exploit young people. Specifically, the suit mentions four cases since 2021 in which men sexually abused or assaulted young people they solicited through the app. It also points to a 2019 bust of a drug ring operated through Snapchat. “Snap’s commitment to user safety is an illusion,” the state’s lawsuit claims. “Its app is not safe, it is dangerous.”
🗞️ Colombia gangs lure children to join ranks via TikTok and Facebook, UN warns
Armed groups post videos of weapons, cars and parties to social media to depict ‘perks’ of lifestyle, say experts. Gangs in Colombia are increasingly recruiting children into their ranks, with a notable number coerced over TikTok and Facebook, the United Nations has warned. The UN Human Rights Office in Colombia said it had verified 474 cases of recruitment or use of under-18s between 2022 and 2024, and that the situation was “worsening in 2025”.
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