The digital realm is an integral part of children and young people's lives, bringing both risks and opportunities. Furthermore, there is no shortage of regulations to protect children and youth in the digital world, the challenges lie more in implementation and jurisdiction. These are the key findings from the expert commission appointed by the Family Ministry on this topic, which presented an initial assessment on Monday.
The committee has been working since September of last year, with 18 experts from various disciplines developing recommendations for better child and youth protection in the digital world. The group includes legal experts, pediatricians, psychology experts, educators, as well as children and young people themselves, who are consulted about their daily lives.
The committee plans to present concrete recommendations for action at the end of June and submit a final report in September, it has now delivered a scientific assessment.
This is not just a debate about cell phones in schools or a social media ban, but about a "broad approach," Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) said in Berlin. Because this is a societal phenomenon affecting everyone, an "integrated overall strategy" is also necessary.
The now-presented text outlines, first, that digital media have now become a "central component of the everyday life and world" of young people and even very young people, associated with a broad spectrum of risks: addiction dangers, cyberbullying, depictions of violence, and sexualized violence.
The effect of digital content plays a significant role in whether children and young people are already burdened, such as by mental disorders, experienced trauma, or the media behavior in the family.
At the same time, the digital space offers opportunities, protection and participation must "not be opposites," said the commission's co-chair, Olaf Köller. Children and young people can also build friendships with digital media, find like-minded people in the queer community or in their religious community, and support each other.
Ultimately, the report concludes that it is crucial to adequately train children and young people in their media competence to enable safe participation. Many institutions and responsible parties must be involved in this: in the very young age especially the family and parents, as well as daycare centers and schools, child and youth services, and professionals from the medical field.
Media literacy education is already anchored as a cross-curricular task in all 16 federal states, but: "The implementation is very different." Parent education in this area is a "German patchwork" and support is not systematically enough organized, according to the report.
The experts also come to the conclusion that child and youth protection in the digital space is already "extensively regulated." "A blanket regulatory deficit cannot be established." For example, the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) regulates the protection of minors on platforms, in addition there is data protection law and the AI regulation, and in Germany, for example, the Youth Protection Act.
However, the rules are complex in application and not always clearly delineated from each other. The greatest practical weaknesses lie in the "application, age verification, and effective enforcement" of the rules, less in the body of norms.
In recent times, there has been much discussion about age restrictions on the use of social media, as they already apply or are being prepared in other countries. The governing coalition has differing views on this. First, the recommendations of the experts are to be awaited.
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