The starting point is the Australian social media ban for under-16s, which has been in force since December 2025 and has sparked a political debate in Germany about similar measures. At the panel “I forbid you!!1!1! – Australia’s social media ban for under-16s: initial facts instead of gut feeling,” researchers present empirical findings for the first time, together with new, previously unpublished survey data from the bidt on the attitudes of the German population: 66 percent of Germans support a ban for children under 14 – at the same time, 59 percent consider such a ban to be of little effectiveness.
Josephine B. Schmitt emphasizes in her assessment that blanket social media bans often replace the necessary debate about effective platform regulation. They suggest political capacity to act, but shift responsibility onto young people instead of consistently regulating platforms. Social media, she argues, is not only a space of risk for adolescents, but also a place for information, exchange, self-organization, and social participation. Bans do not solve many problems; rather, they relocate them into less visible spaces.
The broad media response underlines the societal relevance of CAIS research: the debate on social media bans touches the core of the research field “Civic experiential spaces of digitalization” – how young people experience, negotiate, and shape digital platforms.
Example media coverage:
- DIE ZEIT Online: Majority supports social media ban for children under 14
- Süddeutsche Zeitung Online: What people think about social media bans
- Netzpolitik: Neither scientifically sound nor effective
- Link to the press release