Conference of Education Ministers Agrees on Joint Line on Social Media in Schools

According to the conference, the declaration focuses on the development of digital resilience, protection from the negative consequences of excessive social media use, and close cooperation between schools and families. As in other countries, age limits for social media are currently being discussed in Germany; an expert commission is currently developing recommendations for concrete measures. The Conference of Education Ministers sees its agreement as an educational policy contribution to this debate.

Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD) demanded that strengthening media literacy in schools must move more to the center. "Social Media kann verbinden, informieren und inspirieren, aber auch verunsichern, unter Druck setzen oder manipulieren. Deshalb müssen junge Menschen lernen, kritisch hinzuschauen, Informationen einzuordnen und selbstbewusst mit digitalen Medien umzugehen", she said. The federal states must create reliable framework conditions for this.

Federal Education Minister Prien announces recommendations

Dorothee Feller (CDU) emphasized the role of parents. Preparing children for a world shaped by social media, artificial intelligence and other digital developments cannot work without families, Feller said. Offers such as "Kompetent im Netz" would therefore be expanded, she announced.

Karin Prien (CDU) pointed out that there is agreement on the substance, even if positions on a blanket ban diverge. "Unabhängig davon, ob wir jetzt im Einzelnen für oder gegen ein pauschales Social-Media-Verbot - das ist ja eine sehr vereinfachte Debatte, die hier geführt wird - sind", Prien said. According to her, there is consensus on the three core elements of the declaration.

Federal states respond to ongoing debate

Prien announced that the results of the expert commission would be presented on June 24 and would contain nearly 50 recommendations addressed not only to schools but also to parents, daycare centers and, for example, doctors. This is intended to take the issue beyond the school context into families and early childhood education.

With the declaration, the federal states are responding to the ongoing societal debate about the right way to handle social networks, TikTok, Instagram and the like. For the first time, all responsible ministers have agreed on common goals, guidelines and measures. This is intended to prevent different rules from applying in each federal state.

Outlook on the 2026/27 school year

The Conference of Education Ministers is the body in which the ministers responsible for school and education from the 16 federal states coordinate joint positions. This year's meeting was held in Munich because Bavaria holds the chairmanship on a rotating basis. The next session is planned for the autumn; implementation of the recommendations is to be discussed then.

Observers see the agreement primarily as a signal to families and schools that have felt left alone until now. With a view to the start of the 2026/27 school year, teacher unions are hoping for concrete teaching materials, training courses and clear contact persons. Critics, on the other hand, complain that voluntary agreements without statutory age limits are only effective to a limited extent.

One thing is clear: with the declaration, politicians are relying on education and competence rather than a quick ban. Whether this course will succeed will become clear once the nearly 50 recommendations of the expert commission are available in detail on June 24 and are discussed in the federal states.