Chancellor Merz Supports Social Media Ban for Minors

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has expressed support for a ban on social media use for minors. He said he has “a lot of sympathy for the proposal that we will also be discussing at the party conference this coming weekend, and also for the proposal coming from the SPD,” in an interview published Wednesday on the podcast Machtwechsel.

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Merz argued that personality deficits and problems in young people’s social behavior should not come as a surprise “if children today, at the age of 14, have up to five hours or more of screen time per day, if their entire socialization takes place only through this medium.”

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Although he said he is generally skeptical of bans, Merz explained, “I think the priority must be how do I protect children at an age when they also need time to play, to learn and to concentrate at school.” He added that while children should learn how to use electronic media in school, “but the argument that you have to introduce children to it so that they can handle it honestly doesn’t hold.” He continued: “Then you would also have to serve alcohol in elementary school so that they get used to it.”

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At the CDU federal party conference at the end of the week, delegates are set to debate age limits for the use of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and similar online services. A motion submitted by the Schleswig-Holstein state association proposes a legal minimum age of 16 for access to the platforms, combined with mandatory age verification. CDU state premiers Daniel Günther of Schleswig-Holstein and Hendrik Wüst of North Rhine-Westphalia have both spoken out in favor of a minimum age of 16.

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The parliamentary group of the SPD has called for age-based regulations on the use of social media platforms in a position paper. It proposes that use be “completely” banned for children under 14. For teenagers under 16, it suggests a “mandatory youth version” that would, among other things, not include algorithm-driven reward and recommendation systems.

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Thorsten Frei (CDU), head of the Chancellery, expects broad debate on the issue at the party conference in Stuttgart. “The issue is very much on our minds,” he told the Rheinische Post (Wednesday edition). “We must find a healthy balance to, on the one hand, protect young people from hate, disinformation and psychological stress and, on the other hand, give them the opportunity to strengthen their media literacy and make use of digital opportunities,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Bavaria’s Minister-President and CSU leader Markus Söder spoke out against the SPD proposal. “Especially our friends from the Social Democrats are often at the very forefront when it comes to bans,” Söder told newspapers of the Mediengruppe Bayern (Wednesday editions). “I am more cautious about that,” he added.

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One can talk about many things, Söder said, “but at the moment this is not one of the most central questions.” From his perspective, a requirement to use real names online is more important. “At demonstrations on the street, there is also, for good reasons, a ban on masking,” the CSU leader said. “So why not in the digital world as well? That would change a lot.”

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