Germany is preparing to restrict access to social media for children and teenagers, Bloomberg reports. The country’s government plans to set age restrictions on the use of platforms to improve the safety of young people in the digital environment.
According to the source, the proposed joint initiative of the Christian Democratic Union, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the Social Democratic Party provides for a ban on access to social networks for those under 14 years of age. Users aged 14 to 16 will only be able to access the platforms with adapted content.
The deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Armand Zorn, stressed that the aim of these measures is to “protect children and young people in the digital environment”. He stressed the need to create “safe digital spaces” without algorithms that provoke addiction, as well as without content with hate speech, calls for violence or disinformation.
The Social Democrats also propose changing the rules for adult users: algorithmic recommendations should only work at their direct request. The German government is expected to consider and adopt the bill later this year.
