The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has dismissed calls for an age limit on social‑media use. “The CCC fundamentally rejects a social‑media ban” said Elina Eickstädt, spokesperson and expert on European digital policy, during an interview with the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Wednesday edition).
Eickstädt warned that an age restriction would strip young people of the very space where they learn to politicise themselves and could otherwise influence policy. She added that such a ban would give a false sense of safety, while the real problem-the toxic business models of major platforms-would remain untouched.
She also criticised centralised age‑verification schemes such as the EUDI wallet. “Requiring a central authority to approve an individual contradicts the decentralised nature of the Internet and explains why internet shutdowns are even possible” she said. “The more centralised a system, the easier it is for regimes to take the Internet offline. The EUDI wallet is not a panacea that solves all problems”.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) recently proposed the EUDI wallet as an age‑verification system for social networks in an impulsive paper. This digital identity credential can store official documents-including national identity cards, driving licences, health‑insurance cards and training certificates. Initiated by the European Union, the system will be implemented by member states at the national level and is slated for availability from 2027.
