Norway Draws a Line Around Childhood

What's happening

Norway announced it will introduce legislation banning children under 16 from social media, making technology companies responsible for age verification. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the goal is "a childhood where children get to be children. Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens." The bill follows Australia's world-first ban in December 2025, which affected 47 million teen accounts in its first month. YouTube cautioned a ban could push young people toward less regulated platforms. Several European nations are now considering similar restrictions. Norway has not specified which platforms the ban will cover, but expects the bill before parliament by year's end. The move shifts responsibility from families to the corporations that built and profit from the platforms.

What the Text says

The disciples come to Jesus with a question about power: who is greatest? Jesus places a child in their midst and redirects the entire conversation.

Matthew 18:5-65Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

The Greek word translated "stumble" is skandalizo, from which we get "scandal." It means to set a trap. The millstone image is deliberately excessive. Jesus wants to shock adults who treat childhood as someone else's concern. What matters is who the warning addresses. It is aimed at anyone whose actions create the conditions for a child to be trapped. The algorithms that hold children's attention were not designed carelessly. They were engineered to maximize engagement. Norway's legislation names this reality. The question the text puts before every society is whether those who build the traps will answer for them. Jesus does not offer parenting advice here. He issues a warning to the powerful, and the weight of the millstone corresponds to the vulnerability of the child.

The reflection

The debate over children and screens usually centers on parental responsibility. Norway's bill names the system as the point of failure. The millstone passage works the same way. It warns the powerful that the cost of trapping a child is absolute. The companies that designed these platforms knew their product. The question legislators are asking is the same one Jesus asked his disciples: when a child is harmed, who answers for it?