Social media addiction, Emergency shelters, Water shortage
Last Week in Denmark (25.05-01.06) Episode 21 Year 5
TOP 3 News
86,000 people suffer from social media addiction.
The government will inspect the emergency shelters and upgrade them.
Water shortage in the capital by 2040.
Illustration made by Diana Bălașa
The Last Week in Denmark podcast unpacks the top three news stories of the week through the international lens of two co-hosts. It’s personal, it’s global, it’s Denmark-ish. Listen now: Spotify. Apple Podcasts. YouTube. Amazon Music.
Editor HQ
State of Denmark - Social media addiction
One night, Danish filmmaker Søren Bojsen had a strange dream. He was scrolling through an infinite feed, even in his sleep. It wasn’t a nightmare exactly, but he woke up with a heavy feeling, like he’d been swallowed a little more by the machine. The next day, he deleted all his social media accounts.
Maybe you’ve felt something similar. You grab your phone just to check something quick, and suddenly it’s midnight and you’ve watched thirty videos you barely remember. You laugh, you scroll, and you forget why you even opened the app. It’s a daily ritual, and for many of us, a quiet regret.
In Denmark, this feeling is becoming a national conversation. According to new government-backed research, over half of us use social media more than we want to, and around 86,000 people are now considered addicted. That’s not just doomscrolling; it’s a mental health issue.
The science is catching up. Until recently, “social media addiction” was more of a vibe than a diagnosis. But researchers from over 70 countries are now developing tools to measure it. They’re asking, do you feel anxious without your phone? Do you check it without meaning to? Do you try to cut back and fail?
It’s not just individual experiments either. Nationally, something is shifting. A new study shows that young people have started using Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube significantly less, a drop of up to 22% since 2022. Some call it the start of a teen rebellion against the scroll. Others say they’ve just moved to platforms like Discord and Telegram. Either way, the relationship is changing.
There’s also a message for parents. Experts advise against strict bans or panicked lectures. Instead, join your kids in the digital world, laugh at dumb videos together, play the games, ask questions. That way, when something uncomfortable happens online, they’ll talk to you, not shut down.
And Søren, the filmmaker? He didn’t become a monk or start farming offline. Instead, he spent years exploring the internet’s hidden corners, old-school forums, anarchist game servers, DIY art collectives. His verdict? The internet isn’t broken. You just have to dig a little deeper to find places that feel human again.
So maybe the real question isn’t “how much time are you spending online?” but “what are you getting out of it?” Are you just feeding the algorithm? Or are you using it to connect, learn, create, laugh?
Thank you for reading and sharing Last Week in Denmark!
P.S. - This week, I participated in the “Belonging to Denmark” conference with the following speech: “Denmark is the home of the people of Denmark, not just the Danes.” Click here to read the speech.
Read our recent article: Danish schools banish mobile phones to improve learning and wellbeing
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Danish Politics HQ
New laws
🧒 Tougher laws on digital child abuse. From July 2025, Denmark will criminalize computer-generated child abuse material, deepfakes without consent, and sharing everyday photos of kids in sexualized contexts. The new law also lets police use fake material to catch offenders. The move follows a sharp rise in child abuse image cases and was shaped by Save the Children’s recommendations.
🎈 Denmark tightens grip on illegal laughing gas sales. Parliament has passed a new law allowing authorities to use fake social media profiles to infiltrate secret groups selling illegal laughing gas. The goal is to protect young people and crack down on sellers hiding behind anonymous accounts. Platforms that ignore takedown orders risk being blocked by court ruling.
Political scene
🕵️ Should we have a privacy commission? Opposition parties want a new independent commission to assess whether our right to privacy is being eroded by expanding surveillance laws. The proposal comes after fierce backlash to the government’s draft PET law, which would allow intelligence services to collect vast datasets, including from public registers and social media. Parties across the political spectrum now support the idea of a “privatlivskommission” to study trends in surveillance and recommend limits.
🛡️ Denmark to inspect and upgrade shelters. The government will review the condition of its 3.6 million emergency shelter spaces to ensure they are usable in case of attack. Existing shelters will be inspected, metro stations may be repurposed, and a legal loophole allowing municipalities to remove shelters will be closed. Authorities aim to finish the review by year’s end. Lessons will also be drawn from Ukraine and fellow Nordic countries to improve civil preparedness.
Read our new article on crisis preparedness
🕊️ Humanists want equal status as a belief community. Humanistisk Samfund performs weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies, just like religious groups. But because they don’t believe in a god, they’re denied legal status as a faith community. MP Karin Liltorp calls it discrimination and proposes changing the law to include “belief and life-stance communities.” The government says belief in a “higher power” is essential to avoid “flattening” the concept of religion.
🛑 No support for stopping arms trade with Israel. A citizens’ petition calling to end all Danish arms trade with Israel, including F-35 fighter jet cooperation, was debated in Parliament but found little backing. Only Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) and Alternativet (Greens) support the proposal, while the other parties, including the government, reject it. The foreign minister says Denmark already tightened weapons export rules and remains aligned with the EU. He also notes no other countries have exited the F-35 partnership.
Danish Economics HQ
Our money
🤝 New funding to build bridges across communities. Denmark has launched a 2.8 million DKK grant for civil society projects that bring together ethnic minorities and the majority population. The goal is to fight racism by creating spaces where people with limited contact learn about each other. Sports clubs, cultural groups, and volunteer associations can apply by 1 July 2025 for projects running from August 2025 to the end of 2026.
💰 Biggest health funding boost in 15 years. Denmark’s regions will receive an extra 2.3 billion DKK in 2026 as part of a new deal between the government and Danske Regioner, marking the largest healthcare investment in over a decade. An additional 4.2 billion DKK will be spent on construction and modernization, and new pools will support emergency preparedness and financial stability.
Starting in 2026, 130 more specialist doctors will be trained annually, the highest ever, especially in family medicine, psychiatry, and elderly care. The goal is to get more doctors into underserved areas and ease pressure on hospitals.
Read our recent article on navigating mental health supports as an international
🚽 Better toilets and cleaner air in schools. Denmark’s 2026 municipal budget deal includes a 3.2 billion DKK boost to welfare services, with funds going to improve school toilets, playgrounds, and indoor air quality. The agreement also sets aside money for daycare, cultural spaces, and green energy projects.
State of the markets
🚖 Uber buys Dantaxi and returns to Denmark. The US company has acquired Dantaxi, the country’s largest taxi firm with 3,500 drivers and 1,900 cars, after years of legal trouble which forced Uber out of Denmark in 2017. Now, rides will follow Danish rules, and bookings will be run through the Uber app. Taxi industry leaders and even union 3F welcome the move, calling it a win for customers and competition.
🛒 New shop law worries small towns. From 2027, shops in small towns can stay open 12 extra days a year, including on holidays like Easter and Christmas. The government says it’ll bring more life and jobs to local centers, but some shop owners fear the change. The government has promised extra funding for community-run stores, but many still see the law as a threat to village life.
Entrepreneurship
🚀 New startup guides to boost entrepreneurship. Denmark is launching a nationwide team of startup guides to help new entrepreneurs navigate rules, avoid early burnout, and get personal support. These guides will be based in the six regional business houses and will actively reach out to local startups. The goal is to make it easier to start and grow a business anywhere in Denmark.
Danish Daily Life HQ
🚿 Copenhagen risks running dry. If nothing is done soon, the Copenhagen area could face water shortages by 2040, meaning low pressure, usage restrictions, or even empty taps. The causes are many: polluted groundwater, leaky century-old pipes, rising temperatures, and poor water management. The environment minister says a national groundwater protection plan is underway, but individual action is also needed, like shorter showers and fixing dripping taps. The warning may soon apply to other big cities in Denmark too.
🚰 Aalborg will become the first place in Denmark to clean nitrate from its drinking water, with a 645 million DKK project approved by the city council. The cost will fall on residents, who face an extra 1,000 DKK per year on their water bill for the next decade. Nitrate, mainly from farming, poses cancer risks and has reached dangerous levels due to Aalborg’s chalk-heavy soil. Politicians admit it’s unfair for consumers to foot the bill, but current laws leave no other option. Experts say the health benefits outweigh the cost.
🌡️ New heat records likely ahead. There’s an 80% chance the world will break its hottest year record again before 2030, says a new five-year forecast from the UN weather agency. Even more worrying, there’s a 70% chance we’ll pass the 1.5°C global warming limit, pushing us into more extreme weather. For Denmark, this likely means wetter summers, shorter winters, and far fewer frost days. Scientists warn of rising risks: deadly heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and sea level rise.
📋 Could you pass the citizenship test? This week, over 6,000 people across Denmark took the official citizenship test, answering 45 questions in 45 minutes. To pass, you need 36 correct answers, including 4 out of 5 on Danish values. But passing isn’t enough to get citizenship; this is just one of several requirements. The full test is now public.
Prepping for the next test window? Read our recent article: How to pass the Danish citizenship exams
🥪 Free school lunch pilot kicks off. A new national experiment will offer free school lunches at 191 schools starting next school year, but interest is overwhelming. Out of 346 schools that applied, only a small portion were selected due to limited funding (854 million DKK from 2025 to 2028). The goal is to improve student health, well-being, and learning by replacing lunchboxes with hot meals at school. Schools were selected by lottery, and the full list is now public.
📚 Shorter school days, but at what cost? Schools can now reduce hours without giving a formal reason, worrying experts who fear it’s more about saving money than improving education. While some schools plan to reinvest in quality, like having two adults in classrooms, others may simply be trimming budgets. Parents’ and school leaders’ groups warn this could lower educational standards unless resources stay local.
🎶 Mission Morning Song hits the right note. More than half of all schools now start their day with morning singing, far exceeding the original goal of just a quarter. The initiative, launched by Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt and composer Phillip Faber, includes funding for instruments and training, plus live visits from famous musicians. With 100 schools already visited and more joining daily, the project is being hailed as a national success that boosts community and student well-being.
Read more about why communal singing is vital to Danish culture in our in-depth article
🕵️ Cases of sexual blackmail online, known as sextortion, have more than quadrupled since 2019, with 1,810 cases reported in 2024. Victims are pressured into sending intimate images or paying money under threats of exposure. Young men are often targeted for money, while women are pressured for more explicit content. Experts warn of growing professionalization in these crimes, with scammers working full-time from abroad, using AI and fake profiles to trap victims.
💊 Denmark leads in antibiotic resistance fight. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s biggest health threats, already killing 1.7 million people annually and possibly 10 million by 2050. But a new global study offers hope. Denmark stands out as a leader, praised for reducing antibiotic use and investing in prevention, hygiene, and research. Still, experts warn that no country can win this battle alone; resistant bacteria cross borders through food, travel, and trade.
🎪 Festival boom across Denmark. Since 2019, over 70 new music festivals have popped up across Denmark, and more are joining every year. From micro-festivals in forests to niche events for foodies, wellness fans, and indie lovers, the festival scene is more diverse than ever. Experts say festivals are no longer just about music; they’re mini-universes offering connection, identity, and curated escape from daily life. Many people now attend multiple festivals each year, helping turn live events into a cultural staple.
International Community HQ
🕯️ Danish... until she wasn’t. For 19 years, Ida Sophie Johansson believed she was Danish; she had the passport, the CPR number, and the life to prove it. But a bureaucratic twist left her stateless, as Denmark claims she’s Swedish (due to her late mother), while Sweden doesn’t recognize her at all. Her story isn’t unique: another young woman recently lost her citizenship over a registration error. Ida hopes to reclaim her citizenship through a little-known legal exception.
🗣️ Still called “Nazis” in 2025. Three sisters from the German minority in Southern Denmark have spoken out after years of verbal abuse for simply speaking German in public. They say discrimination is still a daily reality despite Denmark’s self-image as an open society. Many of the German minority report similar treatment, even more than a century after the border was drawn in 1920.
New reporting
Long-form reporting by our dedicated team has gone from strength to strength this year at Last Week in Denmark. We’ve published over 60 original articles so far, and many more are to come! This week:
Crisis preparedness is on everyone’s lips right now. Sandani Gunawardane speaks to the Minister for Community Safety & Emergency Preparedness to find out what you need to be aware of as an international here.
Several political parties want to see Denmark follow Norway and introduce language laws. They argue this is needed to stop Danish being taken over by English. But is the Danish language actually in danger? Ali Lewis takes a closer look.
Fællessang, or communal singing, is one of those beloved Danish traditions. Gosia Kozlowska finds out more about why it’s such an important part of the culture.
Our “How to….in Denmark” guides are always popular, helping you navigate life here as an international. Over the past few months, we’ve seen huge traffic to our articles on your tax entitlements in 2025, navigating mental health supports, your property buying rights and all you need to know about securing a mortgage. Find our full series here. Don’t see what you need to know about? Get in touch with us at reporter@lwid.dk.
New this week:
Tour guiding is probably a job you never considered as an international here, but it could be ideal for you! Daniel Sfita has all you need to know!
New columns
Adrienn Ravn is back with another in her “Inside Out: Unpacking the Human Experience” series. This week she looks at interoceptive awareness, or how tuning into our bodies can help us make better choices.
Stephanie Makison brings us another edition of How to Live Like a Local, this week looking in depth at some classic Danish dishes.
You may have seen a studenterkørsel going down your street recently, as Danish seniors celebrate the end of exams by getting into a wagon and stopping off at each student’s house for a customary drink. Columnist Alicja Peszkowska explores how this historic Danish tradition is actually a perfect example of democracy in action!
In his regular leadership column, Florin Lungu looks at the Recognition Gap in Danish workplaces and how the culture of janteloven can actually lead to teams becoming demotivated.
You can join Florin for a free practical session on how to close the Recognition Gap without clashing with Nordic values on Tuesday 3rd June. Save your virtual seat here.
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If you have a news or features article you think we should write about, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at reporter@lwid.dk
International media about Denmark
This small island in Denmark lets stressed students unplug from distractions and study in nature (Euronews)
Mette Frederiksen interview with Newsweek (Newsweek)
Denmark plans compulsory military service for women (DW)
How does selling weapons to a country livestreaming genocide help humanity or Denmark for that matter?
Even if somebody is delusional and doesn't want to see the evidence, what's the point? Why to break international law and risk abetting crimes against humanity for no benefit. It is not like Denmark MUST send weapons to Israel...
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As for Danish language, it will most likely stop being the working language in Denmark this century. It has already become redundant in many places/sectors. The artificial pressure to keep it relevant feels more like a tool to keep autochtons at advantage, even when it is not important for the job.