The German government has approved a plan to protect minors online, which includes age restrictions for social media and additional measures against digital addiction. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Germany's initiative
TikTok and Instagram may become less accessible for German children. The German government has approved a plan to protect minors online, which includes age restrictions for social media and additional measures against digital addiction. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how they plan to regulate children's internet use and why similar rules are being discussed in Kazakhstan.
Expert recommendations
The initiative is based on recommendations from an independent expert commission that prepared 56 proposals for protecting children in the digital environment. Now the German government intends to support the pan-European EU KIDS Act bill proposed by the European Commission.
Age restrictions
It provides that children under 13 will not be able to use social media. For teenagers aged 13 to 15, special accounts with limited functions and parental controls are envisaged. Creating accounts on social media independently will be possible from the age of 15.
Germany's temporary measures
While pan-European rules have not yet been adopted, Germany plans to introduce its own temporary restrictions. Children under 13 will be banned from using social media, with the exception of platforms that can prove they are suitable for this age group. Separate restrictions will be prepared for teenagers aged 13 to 18, but their details are not yet defined.
Age verification and combating addiction
The authorities also want to strengthen age verification of users. To this end, from 2027 they plan to introduce a digital tool for confirming it. In addition, the government intends to combat app functions that push users to spend more time in them.
Similar restrictions in Kazakhstan
Similar restrictions are also being discussed in Kazakhstan. Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the government introduced amendments to the Kurultai providing for restricting registration on social media for users under 16.