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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she would rather have her children smoke than allow them to be alone on social media.
Under Frederiksen’s leadership, Denmark has emerged as one of Europe’s most vocal advocates for limiting the impact of corporate technology on minors. PIC/AP file
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has sparked an intense global debate after a video emerged of her statements comparing children’s use of social media to the dangers of tobacco use. Speaking at a high-level international conference on artificial intelligence and child safety, the 48-year-old leader sounded a stark warning about the digital dangers facing the younger generation. “If I had young children today, I would rather have them smoke than let them be alone on social media,” Frederiksen said, sparking widespread discussion across social media platforms, parent advocacy networks, and political circles around the world.
The Prime Minister’s provocative analogy is part of a broader, more aggressive campaign by the Danish government to introduce tougher regulations on big tech companies. While critics claim that comparing tobacco addiction to digital screen time is a gross exaggeration, supporters assert that such rhetoric is necessary to break public complacency regarding youth mental health. The Frederiksen administration has consistently highlighted the connection between unsupervised algorithmic exposure and higher rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation among children, framing the tech crisis as an urgent public health emergency akin to historical battles against the tobacco industry.
Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen: There is a completely established relationship between power, political power, capital, technology giants and artificial intelligence. The purpose is to undermine democracy.
That’s the point because the people who develop these things are against democracy.
And I met Bassam… pic.twitter.com/ROl7vEyg6h
– Clash Report (@clashreport) May 31, 2026
Push for radical digital regulation
Under Frederiksen’s leadership, Denmark has emerged as one of Europe’s most vocal advocates for limiting the impact of corporate technology on minors. The Danish government is actively lobbying the European Union to impose a mandatory age verification system across all social media networks, calling for a minimum age of 15 years. Beyond age limits, Copenhagen seeks a complete ban on algorithmic personalization and addictive design loops aimed at children, such as endless scrolling and predatory notifications.
The Prime Minister’s recent comments reflect deep frustration at insufficient self-regulation by technology conglomerates. Danish policy consultants argue that technology platforms have deliberately designed psychological dependencies that bypass parental controls, leaving children vulnerable to online bullying, inappropriate content, and data exploitation. Using highly dramatic language, Frederiksen aims to shift the burden of protection away from individual parents and onto international legislative frameworks, demanding that tech executives be held legally accountable for the psychological well-being of their younger users.
Growing European consensus
Denmark is not alone in its restrictive stance, as Frederiksen’s fiery rhetoric resonates with a growing consensus across the European continent. Several countries have recently introduced or discussed comprehensive legislation aimed at reclaiming the digital domain for minors. France has experimented with a complete ban on mobile phones in school assemblies for students up to the age of 15, while the UK’s Internet Safety Act has dramatically increased penalties for platforms that fail to protect children from toxic material.
The global reaction to the resurfaced video underscores a critical turning point in how societies view the digital landscape. While healthcare professionals were quick to point out that smoking poses irreversible physical risks, many psychologists defended the substance of the Prime Minister’s warning, acknowledging that an unsupervised digital world poses unprecedented risks to cognitive development. As European policymakers prepare to introduce the next generation of technology regulation, Frederiksen’s controversial comparison has pushed the issue of children’s digital safety to the top of the international political agenda.
About the author
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is Senior Associate Editor at News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically about politics, sports, world affairs, space, entertainment, and food. He saw…Read more
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