German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced support for stricter limits on children's access to social media, citing mounting concerns over fake news, artificial intelligence, and online manipulation. Speaking ahead of his Christian Democratic Union's party conference, Merz said he had underestimated the power of algorithms and warned that young people were increasingly vulnerable to harmful digital influence.
The Christian Democratic Union is set to debate a proposal that would bar children under 16 from platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Coalition partners in the centre-left Social Democrats have made similar calls, reflecting broader European discussions about tighter controls.
While federal backing for restrictions appears to be growing, media regulation in Germany falls under state authority, meaning any nationwide rules would require coordination among the country's regions. A government-appointed commission on online harms is expected to present its findings later this year...
Friedrich Merz ahead of his conference:
"Do we want to allow artificially generated false news, fake news, artificially generated films and misrepresentations to be spread via social media? Do we want to allow our society to be undermined in this way, both internally and externally, and our young people and children to be endangered in this way?"
"Two years ago, I would probably have said something different on this subject, but I completely underestimated, as we all probably did, the significance of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and targeted and controlled influence. From within, and also and especially from outside."