A social media ban for children could be “justified”, German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger said on Friday, potentially reigniting a stalled debate over EU-wide rules.
Over the summer, the European Commission rejected a proposal by France, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, and Slovenia to introduce an EU-wide minimum age for platform use and better incentivise companies to verify users’ ages.
What the right age for a social media ban is, however, “needs to be carefully discussed”, Wildberger said to Germany’s dpa, while avoiding taking a side.
France and Greece prefer to implement a ban under 15, while a recent Australian ban restricts social media for kids under 16.
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Wildberger added he would wait for concrete recommendations from an expert commission appointed by the German government before advancing any proposals.
The set of recommendations is expected by summer 2026 to address the impacts of media consumption on children’s health and tackle the challenges posed by AI for learning and psychological development.
The move mirrors France’s “Screens Commission”, set up in 2024, whose report later prompted Paris to call for tighter EU rules to protect children.
Taking a European perspective on this issue is important, particularly to ensure a level playing field for platforms, a spokesperson from the German digitalisation ministry told Euractiv.
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