(de-news.net) – A German expert commission on child and youth protection in the digital world has made 56 recommendations. The propositions encourage media and AI literacy, pushes for more accountability for digital platforms, presents alternative social media regulation frameworks, and demands more protections in families and schools. The ideas have heightened discussion about age-based social media access restrictions while highlighting the necessity for European-level action.
In a report containing 56 policy recommendations, a committee of experts on child and youth protection in the digital environment argued that responsibility for safeguarding minors online should not rest solely with governments and technology companies, but should also extend to parents. The report emphasized the need to hold platform operators structurally accountable for the design and operation of their services and to ensure that digital products are developed from the outset with child safety and age-appropriate use in mind. Federal Youth Minister Karin Prien (CDU) welcomed this approach, describing the focus on preventative design and corporate responsibility as an important step toward improving online protections for young users. She also expressed support for establishing a legal minimum age of 13 for the independent use of social media and indicated that she would advocate for a coordinated regulatory solution at the European level rather than relying on national measures alone.
To address the regulation of digital platforms, the commission outlined two alternative policy models. The first approach would introduce a statutory minimum age of 13 for the creation and use of social media accounts, supported by effective and reliable age-verification mechanisms. Under this framework, children below the age threshold would be permitted access only to services that can be clearly demonstrated to be low-risk and specifically designed for children under a statutory authorization system. For adolescents, the model would incorporate graduated protections, distinguishing between users aged 13 to 16 and those aged 16 to 18. Potentially harmful or high-risk platform functions would be disabled by default, thereby creating a more protective digital environment while still allowing age-appropriate participation.
The commission’s second regulatory model would not rely on a single universal age limit. Instead, restrictions would be applied according to the specific risks associated with individual services and platform functions. Under this approach, the Digital Services Act (DSA) would serve as the basis for age-dependent regulation of features considered to present elevated risks to minors. Examples include algorithmically curated feeds, open communication and contact functions, and livestreaming capabilities. The underlying rationale is that different digital features may pose different levels of risk and therefore require differentiated regulatory responses. In addition, the commission recommended prohibiting manipulative interface elements and design practices intended to maximize engagement or encourage compulsive use in versions of applications aimed at younger users.
With regard to schools, the report concluded that the private use of digital devices during the school day has a negative impact on educational and social outcomes. According to the commission’s assessment, personal smartphone and tablet use can reduce students’ ability to concentrate, disrupt classroom learning environments, and diminish opportunities for face-to-face interaction during breaks and noninstructional periods. As a consequence, the commission recommended that state education laws be amended to establish a nationwide prohibition on the private use of cellphones and tablets through the seventh grade. Beyond that level, schools would be expected to develop binding usage policies in cooperation with students, allowing institutions to adapt digital-device regulations to their specific educational contexts while maintaining clear standards.
The report also proposed the introduction of a mandatory, child-friendly online certification program focused on the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence. Initially intended for elementary school students, the certification would form part of a broader effort to strengthen digital literacy from an early age. More generally, the commission called for expanded media-literacy education for older children and adolescents as digital technologies become increasingly integrated into everyday life. To support these goals, the report recommended that the federal states, with assistance from the federal government, establish a database of vetted educational software, ensure adequate staffing and support resources, and systematically document the digital programs and tools being used in schools.
Focus on families, AI, and cross-border regulation while SPD favors stricter access limits
Family support constituted another central pillar of the commission’s recommendations. The experts argued that guidance and assistance should be provided to families both before the birth of a child and throughout the earliest stages of childhood development. The report warned that the use of digital media as a means of calming, occupying, or entertaining very young children may contribute to overstimulation, foster an early dependence on media-based reward mechanisms, and reduce direct parental engagement. The commission further proposed integrating counseling on media use and digital parenting practices into routine pediatric preventive examinations. Because intensive and distracting media use by parents may itself create developmental risks for children, lawmakers were urged to strengthen children’s legal rights to care and upbringing by explicitly recognizing protection from neglect, including forms of neglect associated with digital media use.
Among the additional protective measures proposed by the commission was the creation of a nationwide reporting and complaint platform specifically designed for children and adolescents, described as a “children’s internet watch.” Such a system would provide a centralized and age-appropriate mechanism through which young users could report harmful content or seek assistance. The commission also addressed emerging concerns related to artificial intelligence, recommending a legal minimum age of 13 for the use of AI companions. This proposal would be accompanied by mandatory age-verification procedures and requirements for providers to implement safeguards intended to reduce the risk of emotional dependency on AI-based systems.
Regardless of which regulatory framework is ultimately adopted, the commission cautioned against relying on unilateral national measures. Because digital platforms operate across national borders and many providers are headquartered outside individual countries, the practical enforcement of strictly domestic regulations may prove challenging. The report therefore emphasized the importance of broader regulatory coordination. It also noted ongoing legal uncertainty regarding the extent to which European Union member states may impose additional obligations beyond those already established under the DSA, highlighting a key issue that would need to be addressed in any future reform efforts.
Despite the commission’s findings, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group indicated that it intends to maintain its support for restrictions on younger users’ access to social media. According to the party’s digital policy spokesperson, Johannes Schätzl, the commission’s recommendations were taken seriously but were deliberately designed to leave multiple policy options available for political consideration. In the SPD’s assessment, stronger intervention is justified when platform operators fail to adequately fulfill their responsibilities toward young users. Thus, the party continues to advocate age-based access rules, including a prohibition on social media use by children under the age of 14, robust age-verification systems that comply with privacy requirements, meaningful user choice regarding algorithmic recommendation systems, stricter limitations on addictive design practices, and expanded media-literacy education for children, adolescents, parents, and schools. Schätzl argued that platforms whose business models are designed to maximize user attention and sustain engagement should be subject to clear legal boundaries and enforceable regulatory obligations.
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