More online security for minors

Members of the EU Parliament have approved a report that calls for stricter rules to protect children and young people in the digital space. Given the increasing dependence of minors on social media and the associated mental health risks, harmful, addictive online practices such as manipulative designs, gambling-like features, targeted advertising and certain forms of influencer marketing should be banned for minors. A uniform EU-wide minimum age limit of 16 years for access to social networks as well as data protection-friendly age verification systems are also proposed. Minors under the age of 13 should no longer have access to social media such as Instagram or TikTok; young people under the age of 16 should only be allowed to use social media with the consent of their parents. The report highlights that although the Digital Services Act (DSA) is an important instrument for the protection of minors, it must now be implemented consistently and quickly and supplemented by further measures. The main responsibility for the online protection of minors lies with platforms and digital service providers, not with parents. Since children and young people continue to be exposed to manipulative business models and addictive design features, the EU Commission is called upon to review existing consumer protection rules and, if necessary, present new legal initiatives. Attention: The voting results shown on the right only reflect the voting behavior of the 96 German MEPs and not that of all 720 MEPs. Overall, the own-initiative report was adopted with 483 votes in favour, 92 against and 86 abstentions. Of the German MEPs, 63 voted for and 17 against, and there were ten abstentions from various groups.

Vote breakdown