Germany’s Merz calls for social media restrictions to protect youth

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday called for stricter measures to protect children from harmful online content, warning that social media algorithms and disinformation pose an existential threat to liberal democracy.

Speaking at a party event in the southwestern city of Trier, Merz said his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will discuss possible social media restrictions to protect children during the party's conference later this week.

"Do we want to allow artificially generated false news, fake news, artificially generated films, and misrepresentations to be spread via social media?" Merz asked, noting that the average 14-year-old spends five and a half hours a day in front of a screen.

The chancellor warned that far-right groups and foreign powers are increasingly using artificial intelligence and social media algorithms to exert influence and undermine democracy.

"Do we want to allow our society to be eroded from within in this way?" he said. "We must address this question because these are the enemies of our freedom, the enemies of our democracy, the enemies of an open and free liberal society."

Merz acknowledged that he and his peers were slow to grasp this threat. "I probably would have said something different to you on this topic two years ago," he said. "I completely underestimated it, and we probably all did as well."

He also criticized the practice of anonymous posting online, claiming it undermines constructive political discourse.

"I want to see real names on the internet. I want to know who is speaking out," Merz said, adding that those who hide behind pseudonyms often demand the most transparency from others. "I want us to engage on equal footing," he said.