(de-news.net) – The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) continues to examine the possibility of introducing a statutory minimum age for access to open social media platforms as part of the broader German debate on age-related restrictions in the digital sphere. Rather than moving directly toward adoption, the proposal has been formally referred for further internal deliberation, signaling a deliberate acknowledgment within the party that both the political and regulatory implications remain unresolved. Philipp Amthor, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs, has emphasized that the discussion should be anchored first and foremost in considerations of child and youth protection.
While social media platforms can operate as important instruments of democratic participation and public discourse, they simultaneously pose substantial risks, a dual character that, in Amthor’s view, argues against precipitous legislative action. He has further stressed that there is no consensus regarding the most appropriate regulatory framework, particularly given the diversity of approaches currently under consideration at the European Union level, nor is there agreement on whether a minimum age threshold of 16 represents an appropriate or effective solution. Against this background, Amthor has cautioned that the issue should not be framed primarily as one of censorship or undue limitations on freedom of expression, especially since significant technical obstacles persist and rudimentary age-verification mechanisms would fail to address the underlying challenges.
In contrast, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and its youth organization, the Jusos, have positioned themselves firmly against general usage bans for minors, instead advocating for a stronger allocation of responsibility to platform operators themselves. The SPD parliamentary group has articulated the view that age-based prohibitions, when applied in isolation, are insufficient to confront the structural and systemic sources of harm associated with social media.
Carmen Wegge, the party’s spokesperson on legal affairs, has recognized that social media platforms can foster addictive patterns of use and contribute to processes of radicalization. Nevertheless, she has argued that measures such as mandatory real-name policies or blanket prohibitions for younger users fail to address the core dynamics at play. From her perspective, effective consumer protection must be conceived more broadly and should include not only comprehensive media literacy initiatives spanning all age groups, but also mechanisms that strengthen user autonomy, such as expanded control over how algorithmic systems curate and prioritize content.
SPD youth wing and Left Party shift focus from age limits to platform accountability
This line of critique has been further developed by the Jusos through a more explicit focus on the economic incentives driving platform behavior. Philipp Türmer, chair of the SPD youth organization, has argued that many young people experience social media use as a significant psychological strain, a condition that platforms knowingly tolerate or even exploit because sustained user attention translates directly into revenue. To illustrate what he characterizes as systemic regulatory shortcomings, Türmer has pointed to the lack of transparency surrounding TikTok’s recommendation algorithms, the scaling back of fact-checking functions at Meta, and the deployment of AI-based bots for forms of sexualized digital abuse on X.
In response to these developments, Türmer has called for rigorous and consistent enforcement of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), including clearly defined regulatory competencies, meaningful and deterrent sanctions, and genuine transparency in both algorithmic design and content moderation practices. At the same time, Türmer has underscored that regulatory enforcement, if pursued in isolation, would remain inadequate unless accompanied by sustained investment in digital education as well as the expansion of low-threshold counseling and reporting infrastructures.
Comparable reservations regarding age-based restrictions have also been articulated by Heidi Reichinnek, parliamentary leader of the Left Party, who has spoken out against a general prohibition on social media use for individuals under the age of sixteen. She has highlighted the practical limitations of such measures, arguing that adolescents would likely circumvent them, and has raised concerns about the data protection risks inherent in age-verification systems that rely on identity documents. In her assessment, an excessive focus on prohibitions obscures the more fundamental issue of concentrated power among major platform operators.
Consequently, Reichinnek has argued for a stronger emphasis on enforcing existing European regulatory frameworks, including the imposition of higher fines, while simultaneously calling for broad-based efforts to enhance media literacy across society and to expand youth services. Although such measures would require increased public expenditure, she has maintained that these costs must be openly addressed as part of a serious policy discussion.
At the federal level, the German government has already taken preparatory steps by establishing an expert commission on child and youth protection in the digital environment, which is tasked with developing policy recommendations by the summer. Nonetheless, debate within the CDU has intensified in advance of the party’s federal conference scheduled for late February. In this context, the party’s Schleswig-Holstein regional association has submitted a proposal advocating for a legally mandated minimum age of 16 for open platforms, coupled with strict age-verification requirements. This initiative follows earlier public statements by Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister President Daniel Günther and by Hendrik Streeck, the Federal Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, both of whom have called for stronger protective measures aimed at safeguarding children and adolescents in online spaces.
