Ramona Pop, the head of the Federal Consumer Center (Bundesverbraucherzentrale), opposes the idea of completely banning social media for children and teenagers. Speaking to newspapers from the Funke media group, she stated that such a prohibition would be largely ineffective and would simply exclude young people. Instead, Pop is advocating for rigorous and tough regulation of these online platforms.
As an example of what needs control, Germany’s chief consumer protection expert pointed to the automated sharing of location data in many social networking apps. According to Pop, this mechanism is dangerous and unsettling, allowing anyone in the vicinity to find and contact an individual. She argues that this functionality must be strictly monitored and regulated. Furthermore, Pop called for a ban on features like the automatic playback of videos and endless scrolling.
This stance contrasts with recent positions from EU experts, who supported a ban on social networks for users under 13, and former Federal Minister of Family Affairs Karin Prien (CDU), who echoed similar calls for restriction. However, Pop supports strong platform oversight rather than a rigid total ban on digital services for minors. She backs up her position using recent data from the Federal Consumer Center’s new, yet unreleased, consumer report. This report indicates that 81 percent of 14- to 29-year-olds believe that online platforms should be held more accountable for designing services that are safe for all users, rather than excluding children and teenagers entirely.
