The German federal government is pushing for mandatory age verification measures for online users, aiming to establish a standard across Europe. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry for Digital and Modernization stated that while current EU law doesn’t allow for such requirements – as seen in the UK’s Online Safety Act – the government intends to change this. They are actively engaged in discussions with the European Commission and other European partners to implement mandatory age verification and secure default settings for children and young people using digital services, prioritizing a practical and accessible implementation.
However, the proposal is facing criticism from across the political spectrum. Representatives from the Left Party (Die Linke) have cautioned against adopting a British-style model, arguing that it poses significant data privacy risks while remaining easily circumvented through technologies like VPNs. Donata Vogtschmidt, the party’s spokesperson for digital policy and cybersecurity, stated that focusing on easily bypassed verification methods doesn’t effectively protect young people and introduces substantial risks related to the mass collection of sensitive data.
Anne-Mieke Bremer, spokesperson for games and digital infrastructure within the Left Party, emphasized the importance of digital literacy, consistent content moderation and clear platform accountability as core components of effective youth protection online.
Concerns are also being raised by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Ralph Brinkhaus, spokesperson for digital and modernization, acknowledged the need for strong online protection for children and young people, but cautioned against requiring mandatory personal identification from every online provider. He highlighted potential risks to data privacy and IT security, warning that even robust security measures cannot fully eliminate the possibility of data breaches or misuse.
The UK’s Online Safety Act, which came into effect in July, requires platforms hosting potentially harmful content to implement age verification methods, such as identification documents or credit card details.