German Family Minister Karin Prien has suggested that parents should face more pressure to limit the time their children spend on smartphones and tablets. She proposed considering legal pathways to enforce this, including a complete ban on digital devices for children under three.

Prien, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), argued that other parental obligations are already regulated in the Civil Code, such as the ban on corporal punishment. She stressed the need to clearly communicate the dramatic consequences of excessive screen time on child development.

The minister also called for mandatory speech and development tests for children around their fourth birthday, with extra help for those with special needs before starting school. She emphasized that schools must focus on basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Prien highlighted that about a quarter of German children leave primary school unable to read properly, calling this unacceptable. The proposal has sparked debate about the balance between parental responsibility and state intervention.

Source: www.dw.com