German expert panel suggests social media ban for under-13s

Germany should consider barring under-13s from running their own social media accounts, imposing strict child-safety measures on platforms and introducing a parental duty to prevent "digital neglect", a government‑appointed expert panel has advised.

The commission submitted 56 recommendations to the family ministry for a strategy to protect children and young people online, including the option of a social media ban for under-13s, according to a document published on Wednesday.

The government welcomed the recommendations which are now set to be debated in the political arena.

"As regards the independent use of social media, I believe that the proposal for a statutory age limit of 13 years is, in principle, the right way forward," said German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Karin Prien in a statement.

In addition to a legal ban on social media for under-13s, the panel also proposed tiered protection standards for the 13–16 and 16–18 age groups, seeking to shield young people from online risks without excluding them from digital spaces entirely.

As an alternative, the commission suggests abandoning a uniform age limit in favour of service‑ and function‑specific restrictions based on risk assessments of individual platforms.

A number of countries, such as Australia, France, Canada, Spain, Slovenia, Greece and Britain, have already introduced social media bans to protect their young people, or are in the process of doing so.

In Germany, the ruling conservatives and Social Democrats have already spoken out in favour of access restrictions, as they see fake news, AI-generated images, violence and pornography as a threat to children and young people.

Politicians also see a danger that radical political forces are targeting young people from a very early age.

-Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Linda Pasquini, Editing by Ros Russell/Reuters