Suche
Age limit for social media: Green demand protection for young people!
The Greens in Austria call for a minimum age of 16 years for social media to protect young people from cyberbullying and fake news.
Age limit for social media: Green demand protection for young people!
The Greens in Austria started a move that demands a legal minimum age of 16 years for the use of social media. On the occasion of alarming results of a comprehensive youth study, you see the need to protect young people from endangering content such as hate, fake news and cyberbullying. This requirement is underpinned by the knowledge of the Ö3 youth study, which was carried out under 28,000 young people.
The study shows that considerable parts of the 16- to 25-year-olds, specifically 85 percent, advocate a binding minimum age for platforms such as Instagram or Tiktok. In addition, 81 percent of this age group spend between one and five hours a day with their mobile phone. 16 percent of the respondents even regularly exceed the five -hour daily screen time. Almost 40 percent of the participants consider social networks as an important source of information, while 68 percent classify them as considerable time consumers.
overwhelming through digital content
Barbara Neßler, youth spokeswoman for the Greens, emphasizes that younger users are often overwhelmed by the problematic content that circulates on social media. This includes disturbing images, sexist foses or right -wing extremist propaganda. Neßler argues that age limits in digital space are as important as with alcohol or tobacco. It warns of the far -reaching effects of cyberbullying that has achieved a new dimension in the digital world.
The Greens not only demand an age limit, but also a greater responsibility of the platform operators. These should reliably check who uses their services, for example through verified proof of age. These measures could help reduce the often alarming signs of problematic behavior on the Internet.
effects on mental health
In addition to the demands of the Greens, the WHO pointed out the psychosocial aspects of social media for young people in a new publication. About 11 percent of young people show signs of problematic behavior with regard to social media. A higher problematic use in girls (13 %) can be observed compared to boys (9 %). This problematic use includes symptoms such as loss of control and negative effects on daily life.dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge from the WHO emphasizes the need for media literacy and possible measures such as age restrictions for social media. The WHO demands more investments in health-promoting school environments and evidence-based programs to enable young people to make well-founded decisions about their online activities and to protect their well-being.
Overall, the discussion about age limits in social media calls for an open dialogue about digital well -being, not only in families, but also in schools. The Greens and experts like Dr. Kluge understand the topic as a task for society as a whole to adequately counter the challenges of the digital world.