Germany's Merz open to social media ban for children

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has backed proposals to restrict social media use by children, citing concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on young people's development.

"If children today at the age of 14 have five hours or more a day of screen time, if their entire socialization takes place only through this medium, then we should not be surprised by personality deficits and problems in social behaviour among young people," Merz said in an episode of the political podcast "Machtwechsel" (change of power), which is due to be released on Wednesday.

Ahead of a party congress beginning on Friday, a regional branch of Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein has proposed setting the minimum age for using platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook at 16, accompanied by mandatory age verification.

Merz said he had a great deal of sympathy for the proposal and also for a similar initiative from the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in Germany's governing coalition.

Senior SPD figures have presented a policy paper outlining concrete proposals for restrictions, including a tiered model with a complete ban for children under 14.

Merz said he is generally cautious about imposing bans. But "the key question must be how we protect children at an age when they also need time to play, to learn and to concentrate at school," he added.

Late last year, Australia became the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from having their own social media accounts. Several European countries are considering similar moves.