The chancellor of Germany has expressed his support for tougher restrictions on children’s use of social media sites, lining up with the growing political pressure for country-wide protections in response to rising concerns about online misinformation and its impact on children.
In a speech given in Berlin before a party conference for the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the recent changes in artificial intelligence and the distribution of content through algorithms have changed his mind about whether restrictions on social media use are necessary for children.
“Do we want to permit the dissemination of artificially created false news, fake news, artificially created films and misrepresentations via social media?” Merz asked in prepared remarks.
He also said that policymakers must consider whether society should permit such risks when they could “endanger” young people and undermine public discourse both at home and abroad.
The remarks come as Germany is now part of a growing international discussion about how to regulate social media use by children.
Several European governments, including those of Spain, Greece, France, and the United Kingdom, are now considering restrictions based on age or greater regulation of digital platforms.
Australia introduced a law last year that requires companies to prevent access by children, making it the first country to do so at a national level
In Germany, plans being considered would ban the use of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram for anyone under the age of 16. A motion to ban the use of such platforms is expected to be debated at the CDU’s annual conference, which takes place on Friday.
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Similar plans have also been put forward by the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the CDU’s coalition partner.
Merz said that his views had changed considerably over the past few years as policymakers had gained a better understanding of how digital systems affect online behavior.
“Two years ago, I would probably have said something different on this topic,” he said, admitting that he and others had underestimated the power of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and information campaigns.
The chancellor dismissed claims that education and gradual exposure alone could mitigate risks for young users. “It is like saying that young children should have controlled exposure to alcohol,” he said.
“It is not sufficient to rely on digital literacy skills without proper boundaries, as it does not take into account the pace of technological change.”
Germany has seen growing public discussion about the psychological and social impacts of extended social media use among young people.
Studies cited by policymakers suggest that teenagers spend considerable amounts of time online, and Merz pointed out that 14-year-olds in Germany average about five and a half hours of internet use each day.
However, despite the growing level of political support, the process of turning proposals into binding national law could be complex.
In Germany’s federal structure, the power to regulate the media is mainly vested in the 16 federal states and not in the federal government.
Therefore, if a nationwide regulatory framework is to be put in place, negotiations between the governments of the federal states would be necessary, which has taken many months or even years in the past for digital policy proposals.
There have also been suggestions from legal experts that there could be challenges in turning proposals into binding national law under European Union law, especially in relation to data protection, freedom of expression, and the role of platform operators.
EU laws such as the Digital Services Act already impose obligations on large online platforms to reduce risks to minors and illegal content, and therefore, German policymakers would need to ensure that any new law is compatible with existing EU law.
The federal government has already started analyzing the matter more thoroughly.
A year ago, the authorities set up a special commission that is supposed to evaluate the risks online platforms pose to children and adolescents and propose ways to protect them.
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The commission is reportedly considering issues such as age verification tools, the transparency of algorithms, and the efficiency of parental controls.
The results of this commission are expected to be published later this year, and they could form the basis for legislative initiatives. They will determine whether a ban on access, increased accountability, or a combination of approaches will be pursued in Germany.
Tech firms have in the past argued that blanket bans could lead to a situation where access to educational content and social interaction is limited, while opponents of the ban have argued that enforcing the ban could be difficult without carrying out identity checks.
This, according to proponents, is despite the introduction of voluntary measures by the tech firms that have not done enough to safeguard children.
The current indication by Merz is that the pace of intervention is changing within the ruling coalition in Germany.
