Philipp Türmer, the Juso chair, remains skeptical amid the debate over a social‑media ban for children and youth. He described the concept presented over the weekend by the SPD’s parliamentary group as “thought‑outier than blanket ban demands” yet he sees a “central weakness” that persists.
Türmer told ”Der Spiegel” that it is a sham to pretend that young people can simply be kept away from platforms. In practice, this rarely works entirely; teenagers are clever and find ways around restrictions. “Bans ultimately must not lead to less protection for young people” he said. “That’s why I still have reservations about concrete prohibitions and I expect a more comprehensive protection plan that obligates platforms responsibly”.
At the same time, Türmer sharply criticized platform operators. “Last week the Instagram CEO again claimed his platform was not addictive, even though the companies have their own studies that indicate exactly how much harm their products create” he said. “We cannot let the corporations get away with that”. “I am clear about the need to hold platforms consistently accountable” Türmer emphasized.