How likely is a social media ban for children in Germany?

Government representatives and public organisations have expressed support for a social media ban for children and young teens in Germany. How likely is it to go ahead, and what does Australia’s ban tell us about how effective it might be?

Germany mulls social media ban for teens

Minister for Education and Family Affairs, Karin Prien (CDU), has said that she is in favour of introducing a social media ban for children under a certain age in Germany.

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, Prien cited increased rates of depression and negative self-image among young people as a motivation. The minister did not explicitly state until which age the ban should apply, but said that digital devices should be an absolute “no go” for small children.

“The government wants to protect children in the digital world just as it does in the offline world,” Prien explained, adding that the goal was to introduce measures that balance participation and protection.

The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale) agrees that the government must update policy, but is against a blanket ban. The online world is currently an insufficiently regulated “wild west”, representative Ramona Pop told Bayerischer Rundfunk. 

Pop added that the EU Commission should better police tech companies that do not follow existing regulations intended to protect children using their platforms. 

Pop also warned of the increased risk of chatbots replacing in-person socialising among young people. “Chatbots act as though they are close friends [with users] and are deeply embedded in children and young people’s experiences. But they are completely unregulated, which is particularly dangerous.”

It is well documented that many Silicon Valley executives responsible for overseeing the addictive social media algorithms, which keep children glued to screens, ban their own children from using the platforms they run.

How likely is a teen social media ban in Germany?

While Prien is mulling a blanket social media ban, like Pop, the SPD and the Left Party are in favour of regulating tech companies more thoroughly. Speaking to RND, policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, Carmen Wegge, said that blanket bans or introducing a requirement to use real names don’t get to the heart of the problem.

“Social media platforms can be addictive and contribute to radicalising people,” Wegge continued, instead pushing for tech companies to be held accountable for the way their products keep children online to collect behavioural data and sell it on to advertisers to generate historic profits. The Left Party co-faction leader Heidi Reichinnek pointed out that age restrictions are often an ineffective way to reduce social media consumption. 

Whether the German government adopts a blanket ban or opts to regulate tech giants remains to be seen, but further discussion is on the agenda. A possible social media ban for children under 16 years old will be discussed at the CDU party conference on February 20 and 21 in Stuttgart.

The government would likely have the backing of public opinion. According to a 2024 YouGov poll of 2.000 German citizens, 77 percent of respondents were “fully” or “somewhat” in favour of the country adopting a social media ban for under-16s.

What does evidence from other countries suggest?

Germany is not alone in its policy considerations. In the past few weeks, governments in the UK, France, Spain, Denmark and Italy have all either announced or already held preliminary votes on bills to introduce social media bans for teens.

With Australia adopting the world’s first-ever social media ban for teens back in December, European governments are watching closely to see whether the policy is working as intended.

According to a BBC report which followed Australian teens one month after the ban was adopted, it has had mixed results. Some reported feeling “relieved”, “free”, said that they were enjoying more spontaneous social interactions and were glad not to be exposed to disturbing content and negative information online, particularly in relation to the Bondi Beach attack.

Others immediately downloaded apps which were not included in the ban, used VPNs to get around the ban or spent much more time playing video games. Some parents reported their children were grumpier, which consumer psychologist Christina Anthony said may be due to having “a familiar coping mechanism [...] removed”. 

Another shortcoming of the ban? Social media and smartphone addiction don't magically disappear on your 16th birthday. According to the European Commission, people aged between 16 and 24 spend an average of over seven hours a day on the internet, with one in four displaying problematic smartphone use resembling addiction.