Germany news: More than 1,900 missing children
05/25/2026 May 25, 2026 Social media ban for kids likely to be ineffective — Interior Minister Dobrindt Most people in Germany are in favor of
05/25/2026 May 25, 2026 Social media ban for kids likely to be ineffective — Interior Minister Dobrindt Most people in Germany are in favor of a social media ban for children Image: Tim Wegner/epd-bild/picture alliance Conservative Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has spoken out against a state-imposed ban on social media for children, saying it was simplistic to see such a move as the sole solution to the problems they cause for young people.
“A simple ban would be difficult to enforce and, for that reason, not particularly effective," Dobrindt, a member of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) told the Funke media group. He said that in the end, it was up to families to decide when and if a child should receive a smartphone, adding that social media were now integral to everyday life. "Responsibility cannot simply be shifted entirely in one direction or the other.
But state action in this area cannot work without the involvement of families," he said in the interview, published on Monday. German politicians are currently debating whether to introduce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, with recommendations from an expert commission appointed by Youth Minister Karin Prien expected soon. According to a survey conducted in April by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation, around two-thirds of people in Germany, or 66%, support introducing a social media ban for children under 14.
Several other European governments have announced that they are planning such measures, after Australia introduced a ban on social media use for children under 16 last December.
The BriefWire