German interior minister skeptical about social media ban for children

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has expressed scepticism about proposals to fully ban social media for children as a measure to protect them from harmful content and excessive screen time.

He said such measures are difficult to enforce and unlikely to address the issue in a comprehensive way, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

As an example, he pointed to Australia, where a ban on social media use for children under 16 has been in force since December last year. Several European countries, including Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Austria, are also considering similar restrictions.

Dobrindt said that “a simple ban would be difficult to enforce and, for that reason, not particularly effective.” He stressed that decisions regarding a child’s access to smartphones should primarily remain with families.

“Responsibility cannot simply be shifted entirely in one direction or the other. But state action in this area cannot work without the involvement of families,” the minister said.

He also noted that social media has become part of modern life and should not be viewed solely through the lens of prohibition.

In Germany, discussions are currently underway on a possible restriction of social media access for children under the age of 14. An expert commission under the Ministry for Youth Affairs is expected to issue recommendations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada