BABLER calls for a ban on social media for children under the age of 15!

BABLER calls for a ban on social media for children under the age of 15!

Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler, given increasing concerns, demands a European solution to regulate social media on the Internet. Especially after the school incident in Graz, the federal government plans to tighten access to social media for children in order to better protect them. However, a specific model for this regulation is still pending. An age limit was placed in the room as a possible measure, whereby Babler suggests that children under the age of 15 to rule out the use of social media.

"It is crucial that we protect our children from the algorithms of the online companies," said Babler. He emphasizes that children are exposed to uncontrolled algorithms every day, which bombard them with problematic content such as fake news and depictions of violence. In this context, Babler also takes up a proposal from Emmanuel Macron who demands an EU-wide ban on social media for under 15 year olds. The Vice Chancellor plans to put this topic at the top of the Danish Presidency and also wants to have discussions at European level.

demand for national solutions

If no European initiative for regulating social media for minors is concluded by the end of the year, Babler announces that Babler announces that they are looking for national solutions. Digitization Secretary of State Alexander Pröll supports this idea and speaks of the need for a national solution to comply with the age restrictions by the platforms. He also refers to the General Data Protection Regulation, which prohibits the processing of data for under-14-year-olds.

In addition, BALLER calls for faster implementation of the EU Digital Services (DSA) of the EU. This draft law is intended to provide more control and transparency regarding algorithms on digital platforms. The current Situation is evaluated by ABLER as inadequate, which is why he demands tougher punishments for platforms that refuse to provide relevant information or transmit it incompletely.

Digital participation of children

The debate is not only managed in Austria. A law was passed in Australia that provides for an age limit of 16 years for certain social media platforms. The Federal Center for Child and Youth Media Protection (BZKJ) thus pursues a different approach that focuses on digital child rights and the responsibility of the providers. According to Sebastian Gutknecht, director of the BZKJ, children have the right to digital participation and a secure exploration of digital habitats.

The BZKJ tries to make providers in Europe to make their platforms safe for young people and at the same time checks media content that is dangerous for young people. However, a general ban on social media for under 16 year olds is considered too far-reaching. According to Article 17 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children, children have the right to media access that needs to be respected.

In addition, the protection of children in the digital space is strengthened by initiatives by the German Children's Aid plant. This is committed to making digital children's rights known and has set up a coordination center for children's rights in the digital world. The rights of children must be particularly observed in the digital space, whereby aspects such as data protection, the right to education and media literacy and protection against violence play a central role.

digital media are already an integral part of everyday life of children who use platforms such as Tikok, WhatsApp and Snapchat, for example. The girls Beheshta, Zalasch and Romila, who take part in a media education project, show how important social media can be for social connection at school. In this context, it is crucial that children are not only protected, but also enabled to deal with digital media safely and responsibly.