At its party conference in Stuttgart, Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) proposed a new rule that would effectively bar children under 14 from major social media platforms unless those companies put robust age-check systems in place. The motion combines a clear-cut age threshold with mandatory verification technology, financial penalties for non-compliance, and a push for uniform rules across the European Union.
What the CDU wants is straightforward: set 14 as the minimum age for access to large social networks; require platforms to use reliable technical and procedural checks to confirm users’ ages; make companies financially accountable if they flout the rules; and insist on a single, EU-wide framework so firms don’t have to juggle different national standards.
CDU officials frame the move as a protective measure. They cite mounting worries about addictive, engagement-driven algorithms, exposure to damaging content, and the toll social media can take on sleep and mental health—especially among pre-teens. The party stresses that the aim isn’t to cut older teenagers out of online life but to shield younger children while encouraging more tailored controls.
The proposals envisage a mix of technological fixes and procedural oversight. Regulators would judge whether a platform’s age-verification method is “reliable,” and those that fall short would face fines scaled to the company’s size and the severity of the breach. Advocates say any system must strike a careful balance: accurate enough to deter underage use, yet designed to avoid excessive data collection or intrusive profiling. That balance, they admit, will be tricky to achieve in practice.
Reactions across Germany are varied. Many parents and some educators welcome tougher limits, pointing to addiction, harmful content and the manipulation of images and information as pressing concerns. Youth organisations and conservative voices counter that parents should remain the first line of defense, arguing that rigid age cutoffs could stunt efforts to build digital skills. The Greens and elements of the left generally support age limits, though they differ on the exact age and the enforcement mechanism. The far-right AfD, by contrast, paints the proposal as government overreach.
This isn’t an isolated debate. Cities from Madrid to Copenhagen have been discussing similar measures, and the European Commission has gathered experts to weigh in on minimum-age standards. CDU politicians want an EU-wide approach so multinational platforms implement consistent safeguards rather than face a patchwork of national laws.
There are trade-offs. Supporters argue a 14-year threshold would protect young children from manipulative design and privacy harms and give families and schools more room for offline development. Critics point out potential loopholes—fake accounts, migration to smaller, less-moderated services—and warn that verification systems could undermine anonymity or introduce fresh data-security risks. Industry groups add practical concerns about the cost and complexity of rolling out reliable age checks at scale.
Next steps look iterative: the CDU has proposed an expert panel to identify enforceable, privacy-preserving verification methods and plans consultations with industry and EU partners. Lawmakers expect intense debate—within the party, among national ministers, and with Commission advisers—over who enforces the rules, how compliance is measured, and what penalties are appropriate. The headline is clear—a minimum age, verification and enforcement—but the technical, legal and rights-based details still need to be hammered out before any policy becomes law.