Following the legal action against Meta in the United States, consumer advocates in Germany are now pushing for stricter social media regulations domestically. Ramona Pop, the head of the Federal Association of Consumer Centers, told “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Friday editions) that protective measures such as setting time limits, implementing mandatory nighttime bans, or disabling notifications could help reduce the pressure on minors when using these platforms. She is referring to the recent settlement in the U.S., which requires the Instagram and Facebook conglomerate to alter its apps for children and adolescents.
However, Pop stressed that these changes are far from adequate to effectively safeguard young people. The fundamental challenge, she argued, lies with the business models and algorithms that are engineered specifically to maximize the duration of user attention. She contended that children and teenagers require platforms that are safe by design, rather than merely enforced by use limitations. Pop asserted that the responsibility for safety cannot fall solely on the parents.
Therefore, platforms must be structured to protect younger users without cutting them off from digital participation. According to Pop, high-risk functions should only become accessible after a user has successfully verified their age of majority.
