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German consumer advocates demand safer social media for children
🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

German consumer advocates demand safer social media for children

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • German consumer advocates are demanding stricter social media regulations, inspired by a US lawsuit settlement with Meta.
  • They argue that platforms should be designed to be inherently safe for children and adolescents, not just limited by usage time.
  • The call emphasizes that the responsibility for protecting young users cannot solely rest on parents.

German consumer advocates are pushing for a fundamental shift in how social media platforms protect young users. Following a significant settlement in the United States where Meta agreed to pay nearly $16.7 billion and implement changes to its apps for minors, consumer groups in Germany are demanding similar, if not stronger, protections.

Protection measures such as time limits, nighttime blocks, or deactivated notifications can reduce the usage pressure on minors.

— Ramona PopHead of the Federation of Consumer Organizations, speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

Ramona Pop, head of the Federation of Consumer Organizations, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that while measures like time limits and notification restrictions can help, they do not address the core issue. "The real problem remains: business models and algorithms designed to capture attention for as long as possible," Pop stated. She stressed that children and adolescents need platforms that are safe from the outset, rather than merely having their usage restricted.

But that is by no means enough to effectively protect young people.

— Ramona PopHead of the Federation of Consumer Organizations, commenting on existing protective measures.

The advocates argue that the burden of protecting young people cannot fall solely on parents. Instead, platforms must be designed to ensure user safety without excluding them from digital participation. A key proposal is to delay the activation of risky features until users can prove they have reached adulthood. This approach aims to create a safer online environment by default, shifting the onus from parental supervision to platform design.

Because the real problem remains: business models and algorithms designed to capture attention for as long as possible.

— Ramona PopHead of the Federation of Consumer Organizations, explaining the core issue with social media platforms.

The US settlement saw Meta accused by several states of deliberately encouraging excessive use of Facebook and Instagram among children and hiding risks from parents. While Meta denied the allegations, it agreed to new restrictions aimed at protecting minors and enhancing parental controls. These changes are set to be automatically applied for a decade to underage users of Instagram and Facebook, pending court approval.

Children and adolescents need platforms that are safe from the outset, not just usage limits.

— Ramona PopHead of the Federation of Consumer Organizations, stating the need for inherently safe platforms.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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