Germany’s ruling party backs social media curbs for children

At a party conference in the city of Stuttgart, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union also called for fines for online platforms that failed to enforce such limits, and EU-wide harmonisation of age standards. It follows the example of Australia, which last year became the first country to force platforms to cut off access for children. “We call on the federal government to introduce a legal age limit of 14 for the use of social networks and to address the special need for protection in the digital sphere up to the age of 16,” said the motion that passed on Saturday.

However, under Germany’s federal system, media regulation is a state‑level responsibility and states must negotiate with each other to agree consistent nationwide rules. The ban could affect children like those at the Cardinal Frings Gymnasium in the city of Bonn, several of whom a day earlier were scrolling on their phones in the school grounds. “I think it’s fair, but I think it should be up to the parents to decide whether to forbid it, not the state,” said 13-year-old Moritz, who says he only watches YouTube. “For children under 12 it should be forbidden, but from age 12 onwards I think children can already distinguish between what is fake news and what is not.”