The government doesn't want to wait for the EU: The cabinet approves rules on social media age restrictions. But young people should not be locked out of the digital world.
The federal government wants to practically ban children under 13 from using social media platforms in the future.
For young people between the ages of 13 and 18, the paper envisages staggered restrictions for which the European Digital Identity Wallet is intended to be used for age verification.
An expert commission previously found that one in four children shows problematic usage patterns on social networks, which is why there should be protection standards.
Berlin. The federal government wants to fundamentally prohibit children under 13 from using social media platforms. On Wednesday, the cabinet approved a corresponding key points paper by Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU). It envisages creating a national transitional regulation until a minimum age for social networks is established at European level.
Offers that are demonstrably child-friendly should be excluded. Graduated usage restrictions are planned for young people between 13 and 18 years of age. Age verification is intended to be made possible by the state-run European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). It should be available by the beginning of 2027.
After the cabinet decision, Prien said that it was not about “locking out” young people from the digital world. But there should be an end to “cyberbullying, just like constant scrolling”. Prien said: “We consistently hold the platform operators accountable and support parents – they educate the children, we don’t leave that to the algorithms of corporations.”
The key issues paper leaves it open whether the ban should also apply to artificial intelligence (AI), i.e. to chatbots like ChatGPT. An “AI seahorse” is announced as an age-appropriate offering for primary school age, which is to be developed and distributed uniformly throughout Germany.
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) said after the cabinet decision: “We must not wait until new requirements for the major platforms are decided in Brussels.”
A month ago, the EU announced in the “EU Kids Act” that children under the age of 13 in the EU would no longer be allowed to use social media in the future. You are only allowed to set up your own accounts from the age of 15. In the meantime, special youth accounts should be accessible under the supervision of parents or teaching staff. However, the legislative process is unlikely to be completed until 2028.
Hubig said: “Social media, the way it works today, is not good for children and young people.” Everyone is asked to provide better protection. “The platforms first and foremost – because they control the algorithms and make billions in profits,” says Hubig. But state authorities and parents also need to better protect young people in the digital space.
Family law should now make it clear that parents have a responsibility to supervise their children's media use. “Parental responsibility doesn’t end when the child sits in front of a screen,” Hubig said.
The German key points paper is based on the recommendations of the independent expert commission “Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World”, which Prien set up a year ago. The committee included 18 experts from the fields of educational research, pedagogy, medicine, psychology, criminology, philosophy and law.
According to the expert report, children and young people are exposed to significant risks from social media, AI and other digital formats. These include depictions of violence and pornography, hate messages, disinformation and unrealistic beauty ideals as well as cyberbullying, sexual harassment, financial risks and excessive use.
The Commission had proposed two options for regulation: the statutory minimum age limit of 13 years and graduated protection standards up to the age of majority, as Prien is now proposing, or service-specific age limits.
The key issues paper states: “Children and young people have long been growing up in a digital world as a matter of course.” They used digital offerings, for example, to learn and exchange ideas. However, every fourth child now shows problematic usage patterns on social networks.
Education Minister Prien said: “Protection, empowerment and participation – that is our mission.” It is important to strengthen the media competence of children, young people, parents and specialists. The key issues paper states that the platform operators are primarily responsible for a secure digital environment. That is why Germany will advocate the principle of “Safety by Design” at the EU level.
This includes preventing addictive designs during the development of digital applications. Algorithmic recommendation systems would have to be disabled by default. The aim is to prevent harmful services from coming onto the market in the first place. At the same time, parents should be relieved of having to comprehensively protect their children's devices themselves.
Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts. This regulation has been in effect since December 10, 2025. The pressure on platform operators like Meta has increased worldwide.
