In the debate over better protecting children online, the SPD’s proposal for a complete social media ban for children under 14 has received both support and criticism. “I expressly welcome the SPD’s proposal to differentiate age limits for social media,” said the Federal Government’s Independent Commissioner for Child and Youth Sexual Abuse Issues, Kerstin Claus, in comments to the newspapers of the Mediengruppe Bayern (Tuesday editions).
In a position paper obtained by AFP, the SPD parliamentary group calls for age-tiered regulations governing the use of social media platforms. For children under 14, access is to be “completely” banned. For adolescents under 16, a “mandatory youth version” should apply, which, among other things, must not include algorithm-driven reward and recommendation systems.
A blanket debate about bans fails to recognize the complexity of the problem, Claus said. “In cases of doubt, the right to protection of children and adolescents must take precedence,” she stated. Claus described it as particularly important that the proposal addresses the targeted design of social platforms for maximum time spent and manipulative addictive mechanisms. “Providers are finally being held accountable here,” said the abuse commissioner. Personalized feeds and algorithms that promote dependency are not technical necessities but deliberate decisions with serious consequences for young people.
Green Party health politician Janosch Dahmen also welcomed the SPD proposal. “From a medical perspective, we can no longer relativize the health risks of excessive social media use among children and adolescents,” he told the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND, Tuesday editions). It is not about a harmless leisure activity but about a system deliberately designed for maximum engagement and dependency. “That is why I consider a clear age limit for social media to be well justified from a health policy perspective,” Dahmen said.
Education associations also voiced support for a social media ban. “Introducing age gradations in order to give young people the opportunity to first familiarize themselves with the functionalities can be sensible,” said Tomi Neckov, federal chairman of the Association for Education and Training (VBE), in comments to the RND. Smartphones and social media are part of the everyday reality of children and adolescents.
“Anyone who cares about protecting children and their digital sovereignty should therefore, alongside blanket bans, also create opportunities to experience the advantages of the medium in a protected space,” Neckov said.
Some conservative politicians also expressed openness to stricter regulation of access to online services. “We must better protect children and adolescents,” said Jens Spahn (CDU), parliamentary group leader of the conservative bloc, in the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Tuesday edition). “But it is also clear: blanket bans will not solve the problem,” Spahn emphasized. Proposals are currently being developed within his parliamentary group. “We need age-appropriate access, clear rules for platform operators and more educational offerings for parents and children,” Spahn said.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) also spoke in favor of a social media ban for children and called for a swift agreement with the SPD. “It is high time for an effective age restriction for social media that also provides practical protection for children in everyday life,” the CDU state chairman told the magazine “Focus” (Tuesday edition). “A consensus of the political center on an age restriction for social media would be the right signal,” Wüst emphasized, referring to the coalition partner.
Sharp criticism, however, came from the German information and telecommunications industry association Bitkom. “Instead of blanket exclusions of certain age groups, what is needed is a risk-based approach with age-appropriate default settings, technical protection mechanisms and consistent promotion of media literacy, for example through mandatory media education in schools,” said Bitkom Managing Director Bernhard Rohleder in comments to the RND.
He also warned against unilateral German action. “Digital services are regulated within the European single market and should continue to be regulated uniformly at the European level in order to ensure legal clarity and practical solutions,” Rohleder said.
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