Overview
- Delegates at the CDU’s Stuttgart congress adopted a resolution urging a legal minimum age of 14 for social networks and calling for tailored protections up to 16.
- The text demands robust, privacy‑preserving age verification beyond self‑declaration and threatens noncompliant platforms with “sensitive” fines.
- SPD leaders welcomed the move and push for quick legislation, citing their plan for digital age checks via the EU EUDI‑Wallet, mandatory youth modes for 14‑ to 16‑year‑olds, and limits on recommendation algorithms for older teens.
- The CDU wants to base detailed rules on a federal expert commission’s recommendations due this summer and seeks EU‑level harmonization to prevent cross‑border workarounds.
- Resistance persists as CSU figures label a ban unrealistic and child‑welfare advocates warn of circumvention, even as new DAK‑Gesundheit data on risky youth use and Australia’s under‑16 account rule fuel the policy drive.