Manfred Weber, the chairman of the European People’s Party (CSU), is advocating for an access ban to certain social media content for minors. Speaking to the Funke Media Group newspapers, Weber stated that “much of the content in today’s social media world is unsuitable for our youth” and he explicitly supported a ban, particularly for “sexualized and glorifying content depicting violence”.
This position contrasts with the stance of his own party leader, Markus Söder, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, both of whom have recently expressed skepticism regarding potential content restrictions. Conversely, his coalition partners in Berlin, the CDU and SPD, support this measure, and several other national prime ministers hold the same view. Furthermore, EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) plans to propose a law on this topic this summer.
Weber criticized the current situation, stating, “It is absurd that a twelve-year-old is forbidden from watching certain cinema films, yet can watch even worse things on the internet”. He believes that the regulations of the real world must be applied to the digital sphere. In addition to bans, Weber stressed the need for overall algorithmic transparency on social media platforms. He argued that since algorithms determine how people perceive politics, this is not merely a business issue but a fundamental question of democracy.
The CSU politician also noted that there is no dispute that AfD content appears disproportionately visible on the platform X, pointing out that Elon Musk even connected to an AfD party conference. Weber concluded by clarifying that he was not yet calling for full regulation; initially, the focus must be on transparency to understand the criteria that influence public thought and perceptions in society.
