Recently, Lisa Paus, Germany’s Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, stated that imposing minimum age limits on social media users is ‘entirely reasonable.’ She emphasized that such measures aim to protect minors from online risks, including cyberbullying, misinformation, inappropriate content, and mental health issues linked to excessive screen time.Minister Paus noted that while many platforms nominally require users to be at least 13 years old to register, they often lack effective age verification mechanisms, allowing younger children to easily bypass these rules. She called on platforms to implement stronger identity verification technologies and suggested raising the legal age of access to 16, better aligning with adolescents’ cognitive development and digital literacy levels.Moreover, the German government is advancing legislation that would hold social media companies more accountable for ensuring their services comply with child protection standards. This stance aligns with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes provisions on safeguarding minors online. Paus stressed that the digital sphere should not be a regulatory blind spot and that protecting young people’s well-being is a shared societal responsibility.Her remarks have sparked broad public debate: supporters view this as a necessary step in the digital age, while critics worry it might restrict teenagers’ access to information. Regardless, striking the right balance between freedom and protection remains a critical challenge for policymakers worldwide.
近日，德国联邦家庭事务、老年人、妇女与青年部部长丽莎·帕斯（Lisa Paus）公开表示，对社交媒体平台用户设置最低年龄限制是‘完全合理’的举措。她强调，此举旨在保护未成年人免受网络潜在风险的侵害，包括网络欺凌、虚假信息、不当内容以及过度使用带来的心理健康问题。帕斯部长指出，当前许多社交平台虽名义上要求用户年满13岁才能注册，但实际执行中缺乏有效验证机制，导致大量低龄儿童轻易绕过限制。她呼吁平台加强身份核验技术，并建议将法定使用年龄提高至16岁，以更好地匹配青少年的认知发展水平和数字素养能力。此外，德国政府正推动相关立法，拟要求社交媒体公司承担更多责任，确保其服务符合儿童权益保护标准。这一立场也呼应了欧盟《数字服务法》（DSA）中关于未成年人在线安全的规定。帕斯强调，数字空间不应成为监管盲区，保障青少年健康成长是全社会共同的责任。该表态引发了公众广泛讨论，支持者认为这是对数字时代儿童保护的必要回应，而部分批评者则担忧可能限制青少年的信息获取自由。无论如何，如何在自由与保护之间取得平衡，已成为各国政策制定者面临的重要课题。
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