Overview
- Family Minister Karin Prien signaled openness to prohibiting access below a set age, and the CDU will debate a 16+ minimum with mandatory age checks at its 20–21 February party congress.
- SPD leaders and the Jusos rejected blanket bans, urging strict Digital Services Act enforcement, algorithm transparency and sanctions, while The Left warned of easy circumvention and privacy risks from ID checks.
- Australia’s under‑16 prohibition remains the touchstone, with officials reporting more than 4.7 million youth accounts disabled or restricted since it took effect alongside reports that minors create new accounts to bypass controls.
- Several European governments are moving toward age thresholds, including UK upper-house approval for under‑16 limits and initiatives advancing in France, Spain and Denmark.
- Germany’s expert panel on child digital protection indicated it will address age limits and enforceability in recommendations due by summer, as external pressure mounts from U.S. lawsuits alleging platforms engineered addiction in minors.