Just before the Culture Minister’s Conference on this Thursday, the Women’s Union (FU) in North Rhine-Westphalia has expressed sympathy for an age limit on digital platforms. “Small souls need great protection – that’s why it’s up to all of us to make the digital world safer for children and young people” said FU state chairwoman and NRW Digital Minister Ina Scharrenbach (CDU) to the “Rheinische Post” on Wednesday. “Even an age limit should not be a taboo.” Complaining about psychological outbursts or the decline of violence thresholds no longer suffices.
NRW School Minister Dorothee Feller (CDU), a member of the FU state board, explained that everyone sees the consequences of uncontrolled media access to pornographic, violence-glorifying, and hate-mongering content for children and young people and our society as a whole. “The Culture Minister’s Conference should, on the basis of scientific expertise and involving children and young people, develop solutions on how to protect children’s souls in the digital world” she demanded.
The deputy FU state chairwoman Claudia Schlottmann justified her demand for more research activity by stating that the mere provision of media competence for children and their parents was not enough alone.