The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has taken a clear stand against setting an age limit for using social‑media platforms. “The CCC rejects a social‑media ban in principle” said Elina Eickstädt, the club’s spokesperson and a European digital‑policy expert, in an interview with “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Wednesday edition).
Eickstädt argues that an age threshold would effectively lock teenagers out of the digital public sphere-an arena where they can learn to politicize themselves and exert political influence. She also contends that banning children and teens from social networks would create a “false sense of security” while the real problem, namely the toxic business models of the major platforms, would remain untouched.
In addition, she criticises the centralisation inherent in age‑verification systems such as the EU Digital Identification Wallet (EUDI‑Wallet). “Requiring a central authority to vouch for a person runs counter to the decentralized spirit of the Internet and is part of why internet shutdowns are even possible” she said. “The more centralised it becomes, the easier it is for regimes to shut down the Internet”. Eickstädt insists that the EUDI‑Wallet is not a silver bullet that solves all problems.
The SPD recently proposed the EUDI‑Wallet as an age‑verification tool for social networks in an impulse paper. The wallet is a digital identity credential that can store official documents-such as a national ID card, driver’s licence, health‑insurance card, and even training certificates. The initiative was launched by the European Union, will be implemented at the national level by each member state, and is expected to be available from 2027.