How should teenagers’ use of social media be regulated? This question was the focus of a digital parents’ evening hosted by the F.A.Z. on Tuesday evening. Moderator Rainer Schulze discussed the pros and cons of age restrictions with Leon Pelikan, Nadine Tepe, and Armin Schwarz.
Hesse’s Minister of Education Armin Schwarz (CDU) emphasized the high importance of youth protection but no longer clearly advocated for an age limit. “A ban is not the only solution,” he said. Nadine Tepe, deputy director of the state media authority, expressed support for a limit of 14 years but remained alone on the panel with that view.
Education scientist Johanna Weckenmann criticized that an age limit overlooks the real problems of the platforms. Instead, she called for more media literacy education and EU regulation of algorithms. The 20-year-old app inventor Leon Pelikan warned about the dopamine kicks from endless scrolling but also highlighted the digital space as a “safe space” for young people.
Source: www.faz.net
