Smartphone use in focus as Norway plans social media ban for children under 16. (Image: Reuters) Norway said on Friday it would present a bill in parliament by year-end to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, making ⁠technology companies ​responsible for the task of age verifications. Several European nations seeking to rein in children’s use of ​social ​media after Australia took ⁠the lead with a world-first ban on under-16s last December. “We ‌are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement. “Play, friendships, ⁠and ⁠everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and ⁠screens. ‌This is an ​important measure to safeguard children’s ‌digital lives.” The government did not say which applications would ‌be targeted. Australia’s ban ​covers ​Meta ​apps such as Instagram and Facebook as well as ​TikTok, Snapchat, Google’s YouTube and ⁠Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter.…