The debate about establishing a legal minimum age for social media use is gaining momentum. However, the industry association eco is warning against hasty bans.
Child and youth protection in the digital space is once again at the center of a political debate in Germany. Initiatives from technology-averse politicians in the SPD and Union parties foresee mandatory age verification and extensive usage restrictions for minors on social media. Eco — the Association of the Internet Industry — welcomes the goal, but calls for proportionality and explicitly warns against unilateral national actions.
General bans do not solve the problem.
Political parties in the German Bundestag are discussing regulations that would make it more difficult, or even deny access altogether, for children and adolescents under a certain age limit to use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Eco CEO Oliver Süme understands the concerns, but believes that blanket bans are the wrong approach. “Regulation must be practical, proportionate, and compliant with European law. General bans would not do justice to the complexity of digital services and the lives of young people.
Risk-based protection is already a practiced reality.
Many platforms already have a minimum age requirement in their terms of use. These are based on the respective functions and risks for minors. When creating an account, providing age information and undergoing verification enables the creation of special teen accounts with protection mechanisms that are activated by default. These mechanisms include contact restrictions, adjusted privacy settings, age-appropriate recommendation systems, regulations on usage duration, and options for parental supervision.
Additionally, companies are implementing a variety of measures against illegal content. These measures include reporting options, close collaboration with trusted whistleblowers, and prioritized reporting structures for recognized complaint offices.
For 30 years, the eco Complaints Office has made an important contribution to the rapid removal of illegal online content.
The European legal framework sets limits. The Digital Services Act (DSA) contains binding provisions in Article 28 to protect minors on online platforms. Providers must take appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high degree of privacy, security, and protection. Very large platforms have additional obligations for risk assessment and mitigation.
Due to the DSA’s fully harmonizing effect, member states are generally prohibited from imposing national regulations in areas already covered by the DSA. Not only do national unilateral actions reach their legal limits, they could also disproportionately restrict the digital participation of children and adolescents.
Age verification is open to technology and flexible.
Every debate about a mandatory minimum age is inextricably linked to the question of effective age verification. In the long term, an EU-ID wallet could offer advantages in this regard, as the corresponding procedures would be standardized and well-known across Europe. At the same time, however, ECO warns against committing to a specific technology by law. Such determinations make regulation rigid, restrict innovation, and fail to adequately consider failure scenarios. Since various effective age verification systems already exist, the regulation should be technology-neutral.
Sümer also emphasizes a blind spot in the political debate: there is a lack of clear distinction between different types of platforms, as well as a lack of clarity on which types of offerings should be specifically addressed with age restrictions.
People expect practical solutions.
A YouGov survey commissioned by eco shows that, while the German population supports clear protection mechanisms, they also expect practical, uniform solutions across Europe. Süme emphasizes that child and youth protection is a societal task. In addition to regulatory measures, media literacy, education, and the effective enforcement of existing rules are necessary.
eco advocates for constructive dialogue that balances protection, innovation, and participation.
