Politicians Manuel Hagel and Cem Özdemir advocate for prohibitions
In the upcoming state election, the issue of children and young people's internet and mobile phone usage has taken centre stage, with the Green Party's top candidate, Cem Özdemir, advocating for a bold move. Özdemir has proposed a nationwide ban on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok for children under 16 years old.
This age limit, Özdemir argues, is comparable to restrictions on driving licenses, suggesting that young people should only gain access to these platforms after learning responsible smartphone use under close supervision. He dismisses claims that such restrictions are unenforceable by suggesting possible verification methods.
Özdemir likens letting young children use social media unsupervised to allowing toddlers to drink alcohol, framing it as a public safety issue. His stance is a response to growing concerns among citizens, parents, teachers, and the scientific community about the impact of social media on children's wellbeing and development.
The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, for instance, has called for a social media ban for children under 13 years old and significant usage restrictions for young people under 17. The Society for Media Pedagogy and Communication Culture, as well as the German Children's Aid Foundation, however, consider debates about mobile phone bans short-sighted and instead call for more media education.
Manuel Hagel, the CDU challenger, is open to a ban on mobile phones at schools, but his openness to a mobile phone ban has not yet spread as much compared to Cem Özdemir's remark. Andreas Sturm, a CDU education politician, criticizes Cem Özdemir's stance on a potential mobile phone ban as a typical green reflex. Jonas Hoffmann from the SPD, on the other hand, stresses that age limits without secure verification are useless, especially regarding Tiktok and Instagram.
At present, the Green Party presents the clearest and most explicit restriction proposal on this issue. Information about other parties’ positions on this issue in Baden-Württemberg is not available from the current sources. The far-right AfD party, a significant political force in parts of Germany, is under observation by German authorities for right-wing extremism, but no stance on child social media use is documented here.
As the election approaches, the debate on social media and mobile phone usage restrictions for children and young people is expected to continue, shedding light on the various perspectives and concerns surrounding this issue.
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- Cem Özdemir, the Green Party's top candidate, proposes a nationwide ban on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok for children under 16 years old, comparing the age limit to restrictions on driving licenses, suggesting young people should learn responsible smartphone use under supervision before gaining access.
- The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina calls for a social media ban for children under 13 years old and significant usage restrictions for young people under 17, while the Society for Media Pedagogy and Communication Culture and the German Children's Aid Foundation advocate for more media education instead of mobile phone bans.
- The Green Party presents the clearest and most explicit restriction proposal on children and young people's internet and mobile phone usage in the upcoming state election, with other parties' positions on this issue largely unclear from current sources, except for the CDU's openness to a ban on mobile phones at schools and the far-right AfD's lack of documented stance on child social media use.
