Federal Ministers Discuss Digital Youth Protection with Potsdam High School Students

Background of the Political Debate

The event is set against the backdrop of an ongoing debate in federal politics about a possible ban on social media for children under 14 years of age. For this purpose, Prien had appointed an independent expert commission tasked with developing scientific and legal proposals for such a step.

The commission's proposals are expected before the summer recess. They are intended to serve as a factual basis for political decisions by the federal government, as stated by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Majority for a Ban

A survey by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) had previously found that 66 percent of people in Germany support the introduction of a ban on social media for children under 14 years of age. This indicates a clear majority in the population for stricter rules.

At the same time, the responsible authorities point to existing problems. The platform Jugendschutz.net, funded by the federal and state governments, reported a total of 15,099 violations of youth protection regulations on the internet last year. These figures were discussed in the Potsdam discussion.

Violations of Youth Protection

Of these 15,099 violations, 12,334 cases involved depictions of child abuse and 1,091 cases involved child pornography. These two categories accounted for the vast majority of reported violations.

Federal Education Minister Prien commented on this with clear words: "The again alarming figures show how far we still are from enabling children and young people to participate safely and carefree in the digital world." With a view to the ongoing deliberations, she announced that the federal government intends to decide on further steps quickly.

By inviting the students, the Ministry of Education also signaled its intention to involve young people more closely in political decisions that directly affect their daily lives. Those involved described the meeting as an unusually direct exchange with top representatives of the federal government.

Brandenburg's Education Minister Gordon Hoffmann viewed the discussion as evidence that nationwide prevention work in schools continues to gain importance. The involvement of high school students in political discussions is an important building block for strengthening media literacy and democratic participation.