The German president supported the ban on social networks for children. He warns against threats to democracy

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke in favor of banning social media for children under the age of 14, TASR reports based on a report from the DPA agency.

When asked by the Zeit weekly whether he was in favor of such a ban, the president answered unequivocally: “Up to 14 years, yes.”

Threat to democracy

“We must realize that the absence of rules leads to a threat to social cohesion and also, I am convinced, to a threat to democracy,” he added. According to him, this applies especially to children and young people who are confronted with content depicting violence, pornography or manipulation, which negatively affects the development of their personality.

The German president pointed out that he knew experts who said: “Just leave the ban alone.” In this context, he noted that the recommendations regarding greater media literacy do not convince him anymore, because the danger arising from social networks for children and young people is too high, according to him. “We cannot leave parents and teachers alone with this enormous responsibility,” Steinmeier said.

Australia as an example

The discussion about banning and limiting social networks is also becoming more intense in Germany, while Australia was the first country in the world to ban access to social networks for people under the age of 16 last December.

The ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) also came with the intention of protecting children and youth from social networks. At the party’s national congress in Stuttgart last month, delegates approved a proposal for the German government to introduce a legal minimum age of 14 for social media use. The Christian Democrats also demand recognition of “the special need for protection in the digital sphere up to the age of 16”.

The CDU’s coalition partner, the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), has also submitted similar proposals in the past.