A survey has shown that a majority in Germany would support banning social media use for those under 16. This week, Australian lawmakers approved legi

Most in Germany want Australia-style social media ban: poll

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2024-11-30 13:30:07

A survey has shown that a majority in Germany would support banning social media use for those under 16. This week, Australian lawmakers approved legislation to that effect.

A large majority of German citizens are in favor of banning social media use for under-16s, as is soon to happen in Australia under a new law, a survey published on Saturday has shown.

The support for the ban reflects the view of most of the some 2,000 people surveyed that social media is likely or certain to have a harmful impact on children and adolescents.

According to the YouGov poll, seen by the dpa news agency, some 77% of respondents said they would either "fully" or "somewhat" support similar legislation in Germany.

Altogether 13% of those surveyed said they would either "fully" or "somewhat" oppose a ban, with the remaining respondents saying they didn't know.

An even higher percentage — 82% — were "absolutely certain" or "somewhat certain" that social media use is in some way bad for children and teenagers.