Merz's conservative allies oppose social media age limit in Germany

The Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU) has spoken out against an age limit for social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, in a rare break from its alliance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives.

"This debate about bans is out of touch with reality," CSU lawmaker Alexander Hoffmann said on Sunday.

The comments came one day after Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - which is in coalition with the CSU and the centre-left Social Democrats at the national level - advocated a minimum age of 14 for social media at its party conference, arguing that there is a "special need for protection" until the age of 16.

The SPD has also backed an age limit of 14 and youth versions of the platforms for everyone under 16.

But Hoffmann told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Sunday that children and young people cannot learn how to use social media properly through bans.

It is important to strengthen media literacy in tandem with better protection against content that is harmful to young people, he said.

To achieve this, politicians should hold platform operators accountable instead of depriving children and young people of the opportunity to develop digital skills through blanket bans, Hoffmann added.

Merz told the CDU conference 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.

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 mulling similar moves.