Saxon SPD leader Henning Homann fears a further disinhibition of social media following the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. "It is clear that social media will be largely deregulated," said the 45-year-old politician in Dresden. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg had also caved in to Trump.
The tech companies are currently under heavy criticism: while Meta boss Zuckerberg announced that he would end his cooperation with fact-checkers in the USA, critics accuse tech billionaire Elon Musk of changing X's algorithm to favor right-wing content.
Hate speech is becoming acceptable on social media
According to Homann, hate speech is being made acceptable on social media. People are confronted with posts that spread hate on an almost daily basis. Even videos with crude violence, where people are shot in the street, are no longer filtered out. "I'm getting the impression more and more that our minds are being poisoned on social media, so to speak." The last protective mechanisms are now falling.
EU should continue to ensure regulations
"When I think about how our children and young people are being exposed to this completely deregulated social media, I get scared," emphasized Homann. He very much hopes that the European Union will stand firm. Social media must not become a legal vacuum.
Homann is in favor of an age limit for social media
Homann spoke out in favor of an age limit for the use of social media based on the Australian model. Access for young people under the age of 16 must be limited, he said. This would require a nationwide regulation. However, he would prefer to see regulations for social media content agreed at an international level.
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