Overview
- ZDF-Politbarometer finds 81% support for a legal ban on social media for children under 14, with approval highest among 18- to 34-year-olds; children and teenagers were not surveyed.
- An online petition urging a ban up to age 16 has reached 100,000 signatures within days, and initiator Jan Weinhart calls on the government to legislate, citing studies linking heavy use to anxiety and depression symptoms.
- The CDU has resolved to pursue a statutory under-14 ban, while the SPD proposes age-differentiated rules and signals openness to stricter limits for minors.
- CSU figures, including Bavarian digital minister Fabian Mehring and parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann, oppose a blanket ban and argue for media education and stronger protection from harmful content.
- Family Minister Karin Prien's experts' commission is drafting digital youth-protection proposals due in summer 2026, as Australia’s under-16 ban enacted in December 2025 is frequently referenced in the debate.