There is a growing groundswell of support in Finland to bring in a ban on the use of social media platforms by children, specifically those aged under 15.
The calls have increased in volume in the wake of a similar move by Australia, which last year became the first country in the world to ban kids from accessing social media.
In Finland, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) has expressed his backing for a ban, saying he is concerned in particular about the "lack of physical activity among children and young people".
Public health authority THL has also updated its recommendations on kids' use of social media, while a poll this week found two-thirds of Finns support a ban.
"We see a rise in self-harm and especially eating disorders. We see a big separation in the values of young girls and boys, which is also a big problem in society," researcher Silja Kosola tells APN.
We also hear from Clare Armstrong, a journalist with Australia's public service broadcaster ABC, about how the ban has been received in Australia since coming into effect on 10 December.
"This happened at the start of our summer holidays, so most Australian children have just had 6 weeks of summer holidays that coincided with the first 6 weeks of this ban, and I find it really interesting reading these stories that kids are saying, you know what, I actually read books this summer or I hung out with my friends more, or I started a hobby," Armstrong explains.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
In addition, we wrap up the rest of the week's news from Finland, and give listeners a tip about what to watch on Yle Areena.
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Ronan Browne produced and presented this episode of All Points North. The sound engineer was Joonatan Kotila.
If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp at +358 44 421 0909 or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.
