India, June 3 -- Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, 48, has sparked global debate after a video resurfaced showing her comparing children's use of social media to smoking. Speaking at a conference on artificial intelligence and child safety earlier this month, she said, "If I had small kids today, I would rather have them smoking than allow them to stay on their own on social media."

Clarifying her stance, Frederiksen argued that society has failed to grasp the scale of risks posed by digital platforms. She said, "If I had small kids today, I would rather have them smoking than allow them to stay on their own on social media. But I am acting prime minister, so I will not say that."

She argued that society has underestimated the...