German federal minister for families, Karin Prien (CDU), is advocating for unified European rules to protect children and young people online. The CDU politician is currently in Brussels holding discussions with representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament, according to a statement released by her ministry on Thursday.
The focus of these talks includes recommendations from an expert panel commissioned by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as findings from the German expert commission on “Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World.” Both expert groups have reached a similar conclusion: children under the age of 13 should only use social networks under parental supervision or within an educational context. Any further access should be gradual and tied to mandatory safety standards implemented by the platforms.
Prien emphasized that there is broad societal consensus that special protective standards must exist for children and young people. She strongly supports the idea of establishing a uniform European age limit of 13 for independent social media use. However, she cautioned that national regulations concerning large platforms are only limited in scope. Therefore, she stressed the need for clarity on the legal path the European Commission intends to take to institute a minimum age for social networks and the timeline for this implementation.
Another key topic during the discussions is the consistent application of the Digital Services Act. “The major platforms finally have to fulfill their responsibilities,” Prien stated, asserting that there is no reason to postpone necessary protective measures any longer. Her objective in Brussels is to jointly advance a European roadmap for enhanced child and youth protection in the digital sphere, strengthening European cooperation in the process.
