A recent survey conducted by the German market research firm Forsa, on behalf of the Federal Consumer Association (VZBV), revealed that about three‑quarters of Germans-76 %-believe that children and teenagers are not adequately protected when using social media. Only 18 % of respondents felt that protection is sufficient, while 6 % either said “I don’t know” or remained silent.
VZBV chairperson Ramona Pop called for concrete steps to safeguard minors online. “Platforms must be built so that they do not pose an addiction risk and protect young people without excluding them” Pop told the “Rheinische Post”. She added that platforms should be required to be safe and fair for all users by default. In particular, she urged that harmful features such as autoplay and negatively reinforcing recommendation feeds be disabled for everyone from the outset.
Pop also advocated for mandatory age verification before certain functions can be activated. “Only adults should, after proving their age, unlock features such as allowing strangers to contact them” she explained. The aim would be to protect all users-especially minors-while still ensuring young people can participate fully in the digital world.
The survey sampled 1,002 adults aged 18 and over between 10 and 12 February.