According to a study by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit, over a quarter of all children and adolescents in Germany engage with social media in potentially harmful or even addictive ways, with the trend on the rise. The study highlights that on an average weekday, young individuals spend nearly three hours on platforms like TikTok, and this figure increases to over three hours during the weekend. The worrying data indicates that hundreds of thousands of young people are affected by social media addiction, raising concerns among parents, educators, and policymakers.

In response to these alarming findings, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has proposed a social media ban for individuals under 16 years of age, particularly targeting those under 14. This topic is gaining traction, as discussions about setting an age limit for social media usage are also expected to be a central theme at the upcoming CDU party congress. These proposed measures reflect the increasing recognition among political leaders regarding the potential dangers of unrestricted access to social media for minors.

In this episode of the podcast "On Point," Anahí Martina Sánchez from the TikTok team at SZ explores the addictive design features of social media platforms, shedding light on the psychological tactics employed by these services to engage users. The conversation aims to provide insights not only into the issues of addiction among young users but also into potential regulatory measures that might be necessary to protect children and adolescents in the digital space.