Amid Safer Internet Day, the debate over age restrictions on social media to protect young people has resurfaced. Leading SPD politicians and consumer advocates on Tuesday called for stronger obligations for platform operators to safeguard minors from the risks of the online world. However, there is cross-party skepticism toward imposing an outright social media ban for minors.
Social media has become “a natural part of communication, learning, and participation” for children and adolescents today, said SPD Deputy Chair Alexander Schweitzer in Berlin for Safer Internet Day. Rules that protect society must “also be upheld there,” stressed the Rhineland-Palatinate minister. “For the SPD, the two belong inseparably together, digital freedom and clear responsibility.”
Safer Internet Day originates from a European initiative and is now marked worldwide. Its goal each year is to raise awareness about online issues and the risks and concerns connected to them.
Juso leader Philipp Türmer also sees platform operators as responsible for mitigating online dangers for young people. Risks and potential harm are accepted by the companies “because attention brings profit,” he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). “That is why we as the Jusos expect consistent action when it comes to platform regulation.” The European Digital Services Act, he said, must be enforced consistently.
Like Türmer, SPD legal policy spokesperson Carmen Wegge opposes an age limit for social media. Platforms may be addictive and contribute “to the radicalization of people,” she told RND, but blanket bans for young people miss the core of the problem. CDU digital policy politician Philipp Amthor is also critical of such a ban. Social networks do pose risks for children and adolescents, he said in the RTL/ntv program “Frühstart,” but “they also provide an opportunity for democratic exchange, including with politicians.”
Left-party parliamentary group leader Heidi Reichinnek likewise rejects a social media ban. Instead, she calls for strict controls and sanctions against platform operators. Young people are “very resourceful” and could easily circumvent a ban, she said on the ntv program “Pinar Atalay.” She is wary of technical age verification, such as using ID data, because that would require users to surrender personal information. Young people, she argued, must instead be strengthened in their media literacy.
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations considers age checks and fixed bans to be measures of last resort. The fundamental problem, according to board member Ramona Pop, lies in business models and algorithms “that captivate children and adolescents, lead to addictive behavior, and push content harmful to minors.”
Instead of bans, the organization calls for safe default settings on platforms. These include restricted contact options, disabled location tracking, clear bans on endless scrolling, automatic video playback, and manipulative design features.
Several countries have enacted or are moving toward social media bans for children and adolescents, including Australia, France, Denmark, and Spain. In Germany, Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) appointed the “Commission on Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World” last autumn. By mid-2026, it is expected to present recommendations for legal regulations governing young people’s use of online networks.
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