Germany’s digital affairs minister said he is open to introducing a ban on social media use for children, echoing measures recently adopted in Australia, the German news agency dpa reported Friday.
Karsten Wildberger told dpa that restricting children’s access to social media was “more than justified,” citing growing evidence of the platforms’ impact on young people’s development.
He said policymakers must consider how to ensure children can grow up in a healthy way, similar to earlier generations who did so without social media. Determining an appropriate minimum age, he added, would require careful debate.
Wildberger also called for stricter rules in schools, arguing that the ability to concentrate for one or two hours without distraction is essential for children’s development. Providing regular periods free from digital interruptions was not only reasonable but something society owed to young people, he said, adding that teachers’ perspectives should be central to the discussion.
The German government has established an expert commission on child and youth protection in the digital age, which is expected to present recommendations by the summer. Its work includes proposals on age limits for social media use and the contentious issue of banning mobile phones in schools.
A survey by the INSA institute for the Bild newspaper earlier this month found that 60 percent of Germans support banning social media for children under 16, while about a quarter oppose such a measure.