German Politics Leader Criticizes Age Restrictions for Social Media
Bayern’s Minister-President and CSU Chief Markus Söder has spoken out against the current debate on age restrictions for social media. He considers a possible ban for young people to be “total nonsense” and “unrealistic” as he told the ARD-Hauptstadtstudio on Thursday.
Instead of imposing bans, Söder advocates for more media literacy and parental responsibility. Children and young people should learn to handle social networks, he said, rather than establishing a society that always reacts to the new with prohibitions.
The CSU leader views a ban as making the platforms even more attractive and he considers the demand for an age restriction to be “a bit old-fashioned, outdated and out of time.” While there are discussions about lowering the voting or driving age, the access to social media should not be restricted, Söder said, adding that this would be “a bit laughable.”
Not even the federal family minister, Karin Prien of the CDU, who has expressed support for an age restriction, can convince Söder. “Our opinion in Bavaria and mine is very clear – we would not agree with that” he said.
The background to this debate is the current political discussion, triggered in part by the federal family minister. Prien has expressed support for age verification when using social media, without specifying a particular age, either 16 or 14 years old. The federal states are responsible for education and without their involvement, such proposals cannot be implemented.