Germany’s Federal Data Protection Commissioner, Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, has called for a nationwide ban on social media use for anyone under the age of 16, warning of “massive dangers” to children online.
Speaking to Funke Mediengruppe newspapers, Specht-Riemenschneider said: “Cybergrooming, meaning the targeted manipulation of young people over the Internet, and hate speech pose massive risks to the development of children and adolescents.”
“We need to think about how we can better protect young people on social media. An age limit is one possible approach,” she added.
To enforce these restrictions, Specht-Riemenschneider proposed the use of a digital wallet for age verification, which would allow users to confirm their age without uploading full ID documents. “It is not acceptable from a data protection point of view for everyone to upload their identification documents,” she said.
Germany’s proposal comes as Australia becomes the first country to implement a full social media ban for users under 16. The measure, announced in July, has sparked legislative debates across Europe.
Austria followed with a similar proposal in June, aiming to prohibit social media access for children amid growing evidence of harm caused by digital platforms, including addiction, bullying, and exploitation.
