Social Media from age 16? Big fuss for minimum age demand

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The petitioners generated momentum for their cause before their meeting with the Petitions Committee and gathered more than the necessary votes for their hearing. More than 150,000 signatures have been collected for the request on Openpetition.de, and on the official Bundestag petitions page, there are still around 35,000 signatures supporting the demands for a minimum age limit of 16 years for social media services. But as always, the devil is in the details – while time is ticking away.

"Children are daily exposed to massive risks on social media without protection," stated Verena Holler, a petitioner for the association "SmarterStartAb14." The focus is on protection from reckless business models, against the "maximization of usage time," and "tailored content that is designed for problems" and thus exacerbates them. Addiction-promoting algorithms must be banned, Holler demands, and in combination with age verification mechanisms, this would at least be effective. Platforms that do not comply with the regulations must be blocked if necessary, because: "As long as social media does not protect children, we must protect children from social media."

Role model Australia from December?

From December, one could learn from the role model of Australia how this could look. However, it is important that rules are consistently enforced. "As soon as there are exceptions, it's again: But everyone else has TikTok," said Verena Holler. Protection should not depend on the parental home.

Years of waiting is not an option for parents

Furthermore, the lack of enforcement of laws is also disappointing. The Digital Services Act, for example, is one that actually contains many important things. Three years after the DSA came into effect, "platforms should fulfill certain things, but they don't," Holler complained, referring to the unimplemented obligations for the protection of minors. "It's a race against time," she says, as a mother, she cannot wait ten years for a regulation to take effect.

No parliamentarian today denied in the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus that there are problems with social media platforms and their handling of children and adolescents. However, the deputies did hint that the solutions could still be complicated. Rupert Stöwe, for example, asked on behalf of the SPD parliamentary group to what extent parental responsibility could be legally intervened in – only to conclude that an intervention could be justified here.

When the petition was officially submitted to the German Parliament in February 2025, it was not yet clear which path the next federal government would take. However, before the Petitions Committee dealt with it, the new black-red federal government, through the lead Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Seniors, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), established an expert commission that is now to propose solutions within one year.

Family Minister Prien thanks for broad debate

"We need a clear, future-proof strategy that protects young people from the dangers of the digital world without restricting their opportunities," says Federal Minister of Education Karin Prien (CDU) in response to a query from heise online. "I also see that age-appropriate regulation is urgently needed. I am therefore very pleased about the broad debate that is being conducted." It is important to her that responsibility is taken together as a society. The goal is to "ensure that our children not only acquire media literacy but are also protected. Our goal is a digital world in which young people can develop freely."

Prien was not present at the hearing today, but the parliamentary state secretary in the BMBFSFJ, Mareike Wulf, described how the responsible ministry views the issue: "We see the necessity of taking further steps to better protect children and adolescents online." However, this should be done on a scientific basis. A prerequisite for age limits, for example, would be effective age verification, said the parliamentary state secretary. For example, proof should be provided via EUDI Wallet. However, this would mean a positive confirmation of minority, a circumstance that the BMBFSFJ did not present on Monday afternoon. The Digital Ministry is responsible for the wallet, while the Family Ministry hopes that its introduction can coincide with the end of the expert commission's work.

From a regulatory perspective, parliamentary state secretary Mareike Wulf also warned against a German solo effort, as is planned in other EU states, for example in Denmark. The solution must be European – and the "Digital Fairness Act," announced for the end of 2026, would offer another opportunity for this, among other things.

Petitioners generally satisfied with the hearing

Nevertheless, after the good half-hour hearing in the Bundestag, the second representative of the petition initiative, business informatics specialist Tobias Windbrake, expressed satisfaction: The petition was heard and support was signaled from almost all parliamentary groups. Nonetheless, he wishes for more activity from those responsible, given the many regulations that are not being enforced: "If there are defective products with so many flaws, they are taken off the market." If the platforms do not rectify these issues during ongoing operation, they should be given the opportunity to make improvements offline. "If that were on the horizon, I bet there would be such protection within a few days or weeks," says Windbrake. However, the petitioners have serious doubts that the providers will voluntarily take the corresponding steps – and not only them. Windbrake, who is also on the board of the initiative, admitted to heise online a few days before the hearing in the Petitions Committee that he was available for a longer discussion.

Lührmann warns against AI age estimations

Anna Lührmann, a Green Party member of the Bundestag, is also positive about the petition. However, she warns against hoping that companies will develop good, not just cost-effective, solutions. "I don't think it's appropriate to leave it solely to the corporations," she explained. They would then use "discriminatory algorithms" that "bring new problems." While AI can help distinguish teens from 60-year-olds, she considers it simply unfeasible to distinguish between 16- and 17-year-olds.

(wpl)