Digital Minister Against Minimum Age for Social Media - Germany's Chancellor Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s—But Critics Push Back
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for a social media ban for people under 16, but Bavaria's Digital Minister Fabian Mehring (Free Voters' Party) opposes the idea, arguing that more constructive measures are needed than outright prohibitions.
Mehring rejected the proposal for a minimum age requirement for social media users, stating, "Societal challenges don't disappear with blanket bans." His remarks directly contradicted Merz, who, ahead of the Christian Democrats' upcoming party conference, advocated for a legal age limit of 16 and mandatory age verification. The chancellor argued that young people need "not a protective cocoon, but competence and guidance," emphasizing the importance of strengthening media literacy rather than imposing restrictions. Bans, he warned, would ignore "the lived reality of digital natives."
In the political podcast Machtwechsel (Change of Power), Merz had previously expressed "a great deal of sympathy" for the idea of a ban, claiming that excessive social media use contributes to "personality deficits and social behavioral problems" among young people.
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