Sixth Media Amendment Treaty

The Brandenburg state parliament dealt with the Sixth Media Amendment Treaty and decided on it in a roll-call vote based on a recommended resolution. In particular, the State Treaty amends the State Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media and the State Treaty on Media and is intended to improve the protection of children and young people in the digital space. A central point of the changes is the obligation of providers of operating systems, for example for smartphones, smart TVs or game consoles, to provide parental controls. This is intended to make it easier for parents and guardians to set age-appropriate settings for devices used by children. In principle, use remains free; the protective function only takes effect when it is activated. In addition, providers of telemedia are obliged to display age classifications for games and fictional content more clearly and, if necessary, to name possible interaction risks. The state treaty also strengthens the powers of the state media authorities in enforcing youth protection regulations. In the future, under certain conditions, they will be able to have payment flows to online offers in question stopped and also extend measures to so-called “mirror domains” that are intended to circumvent blocks. Overall, youth media protection should be adapted to new technical developments and enforced more effectively. In its recommendation for a resolution, the main committee recommends the adoption of the draft law. The recommendation was approved with 45 yes votes to 39 no votes.

Vote breakdown