Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark directly criticized remarks in U.S. politics about Greenland. She also sent a tough regulatory message to U.S. big tech corporations. Denmark made clear it intends to defend its sovereignty in both territorial and digital domains.
In a New Year's address released on the 1st (local time), Prime Minister Frederiksen sharply criticized the United States over the recent dispute about sovereignty over Greenland. She said, "The discussion that the United States should take over Greenland makes no sense at all," and "the United States has no right to annex any of the three countries that belong to the Kingdom of Denmark."
The remarks came right after figures close to President Donald Trump continued comments about Greenland. Katie Miller, the wife of Stephen Miller, a top aide considered one of Trump's closest confidants, on the 3rd posted on social media an image of a Greenland map painted in the colors of the Stars and Stripes with the caption "soon." Trump himself also repeatedly emphasized U.S. security interests, citing Greenland's strategic location and mineral resources.
Prime Minister Frederiksen stressed that any discussion premised on territorial annexation is unnecessary. She said, "Greenland, as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), falls within the security guarantees provided by the alliance," adding, "Denmark already has a defense agreement with the United States that allows access to Greenland, and we are increasing investments in Arctic security."
Frederiksen then devoted much of her New Year's address to the issue of regulating big tech. Aiming at social media operators, she said, "They have made hundreds of millions, billions of dollars at the expense of other people, especially our children," and "now it is time for them to pay back."
She argued that the vast wealth big tech has amassed should be invested in solving mental health problems among children and adolescents. Prime Minister Frederiksen said, "Big tech corporations are taking childhood away from our children," and "algorithms are intricately designed to keep kids glued to their screens."
In Denmark, cases of teenagers reporting anxiety and depression symptoms due to excessive exposure to social media are increasing. According to a survey by Danish health authorities, 15% of teenagers aged 13 to 18 have been diagnosed with mental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety disorders. Prime Minister Frederiksen said, "Many children live isolated from their communities and alone, and they clash with parents over smartphone screen time," adding, "we must hold the system accountable for having allowed this situation to persist." The Danish government is currently considering a complete ban on social media use by children under 15. The regulation would be tougher than in Australia, which bans social media use by those under 16.
The Danish government views the Greenland issue and big tech regulation not as separate matters but within a single context of "defending sovereignty." The government believes both the territorial remarks arising in U.S. politics and the influence that U.S. corporations wield over data and digital infrastructure could feed into a debate over Denmark's autonomy.
This sense of crisis has also affected choices about local government administrative systems. According to Euronews, Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark's two largest municipalities, recently decided to stop using Microsoft (MS) Office programs. Henrik Appel Esbensen, chair of the Copenhagen Audit Committee, said it was "a decision to escape the monopolistic control held by a specific corporation," adding, "the U.S. foreign policy environment led by President Trump has made this issue more urgent."
Under the U.S. CLOUD Act, authorities can examine foreign data held by their own corporations or restrict services for political reasons. The Danish government's position is that to protect sovereignty, it must secure independence not only in territory but also in administrative data and digital infrastructure. Prime Minister Frederiksen said, "The crisis has made us stronger," and "we will hold the line on what is right and wrong to the end."
Denmark's hard-line stance is likely to spread across Europe. Denmark will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2026 and lead related discussions. A key goal is to establish, at the EU level, institutional mechanisms requiring big tech platforms to verify users' ages more strictly. Denmark's Minister of Digital Affairs Caroline Stage Olsen emphasized, "Every European country has the right to demand the introduction of age verification procedures on big tech platforms." The Danish government aims to establish a restriction on social media use by children under 15 as an EU-wide standard.
Neighboring countries such as Norway and Sweden are responding in support. Norway's Minister of Digitalization Karianne Tung said, "We must not leave children in an online laboratory ruled by algorithms," urging political decisions across European countries. Adnan Dibrani, a Swedish member of the European Parliament, also said, "Big tech revenue exceeds the gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries," adding, "Europe must unite to protect the rule of law and children."
Experts say Denmark's moves are likely to have a significant impact on Europe's diplomatic and industrial landscape. The analysis is that this is a kind of "multi-layered defense" strategy that seeks to respond simultaneously to a physical sovereignty debate sparked by remarks in U.S. politics and to the economic and digital influence wielded by big tech.
The Danish government plans to draw up specific regulatory measures and begin consultations with EU member states. Ideas under discussion include imposing a penalty surcharge on corporations that violate social media age limits and reducing reliance on U.S.-made software in public institutions while expanding open-source systems. If big tech regulation gathers pace, it may be hard to rule out the possibility of it escalating into a trade conflict between the United States and Europe.