Friedrich Merz Supports Age Limits for Social Media

Risks of Digitalization on Development Friedrich Merz, the chairman of Germany's main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stated that the complete shift of young people's socialization processes to digital platforms carries serious risks.
Merz warned that the speed and scope of digitalization could have unpredictable effects on the psychological and social development of children.
Prioritizing Child Protection and Education While the CDU leader noted that he generally maintains a distance from prohibitionist policies, he emphasized that his approach changes when it comes to the protection of children.
Merz argued that children should be isolated from the negative effects of the digital world at ages when they need to focus on play, learning, and school processes.
The proposed measures aim to establish a policy framework to increase children's safety in the digital world.
In this context, legal regulations are expected to be brought to the agenda to enhance digital security for minors and mitigate the impact of social media on youth development.