- 3d ago
German cabinet approves interim social media ban for children under 13
The Family Ministry's key points paper would bar children under 13 from TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram until EU-wide limits apply, with graduated limits for 13- to 18-year-olds.
- 4d ago
Federal abuse commissioner Kerstin Claus says risk to children has never been higher
On Tuesday, 13 October, Kerstin Claus presented her first report in Berlin, saying one in four 14 to 17-year-olds has experienced cyber-grooming and that ten million people in Germany have experienced sexual violence in childhood or youth.
- Sep 30
German family minister Karin Prien reconsiders planned cuts to 14-month parental allowance
Federal Family Minister Karin Prien opened the door to keeping Germany's 14-month parental allowance unchanged following cross-party criticism and coalition election losses in three federal states.
- Sep 26
German coalition deadlocked over care insurance reform ahead of cabinet review
Negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD stalled on 29 September 2026 over proposed cuts to statutory care insurance and rising nursing home costs.
- Sep 24
German town of Heidenau bans Stolpersteine memorials following joint vote by AfD and CDU
Councillors in the Saxon town of Heidenau voted 13 to 6 to prohibit new brass stumbling stones on public walkways, resolving to move future Holocaust commemorations to a cemetery.
- Sep 2
Germany plans €9.25 billion early education reform with mandatory age-four testing
The German federal cabinet has reviewed a draft law providing 9.25 billion euros from 2027 to 2034 to introduce nationwide developmental diagnostics for four-year-olds and boost staffing in disadvantaged daycare centres.
- Aug 13
German cabinet abolishes accompanied drinking for 14- and 15-year-olds
The German federal cabinet approved a draft law ending the exception allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drink beer and wine in public with their parents, sending the bill to the Bundestag.
- Aug 8
German pediatricians demand strict social media rules, calling platforms 'sick and stupid' for youth
Germany's pediatricians association says social media makes young people 'sick and stupid,' accuses parents of serious failure, and urges the government to follow France's lead on age-based platform bans.
- Jul 21
Germans divided 41-39 percent on surrogacy ban, 21 percent undecided, after Jens Spahn resignation
A snap Insa poll shows 41% think the ban is wrong and 39% right, while 21% are undecided, as CDU's Spahn steps down over his own surrogacy abroad.
- Jul 20
Bonhoeffer descendant attempts to remove AfD wreath at Berlin commemoration of 1944 Hitler plot
Tobias Korenke, great-nephew of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, tried to remove a wreath laid by the far-right AfD party at the Bendlerblock memorial. Security intervened, damaging the wreath, and the July 20 Foundation later said it understood the outrage of resistance descendants.
- Jul 16
Germany proposes mandatory language tests for all four-year-olds in €9.25 billion Kita reform
Federal education minister Karin Prien unveiled a draft law on 15 July 2026 that would introduce nationwide standardised language assessments for every four-year-old, backed by €9.25 billion in federal funding through 2034.
- Jul 12
Prien plans €1.6bn parental allowance cut, caps maintenance advance at 16 amid backlash
Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) wants to trim parental allowance from 14 to 12 months, reduce the maintenance advance for children from 18 to 16 years, and use driving bans to pressure deadbeat parents, triggering opposition from SPD, child welfare groups, and the anti-discrimination commissioner.
- Jul 7
Family Minister Prien proposes cutting Elterngeld to 12 months, raising minimum and maximum payouts
Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) has unveiled a draft law that would shorten Germany's parental allowance from 14 to 12 months, while raising the minimum and maximum monthly payments for the first time since 2007. The proposal, still under inter-ministerial review, aims to save €1.6 billion by 2030 and boost fathers' caregiving role.
- Jul 1
Germany tightens democracy funding rules with Verfassungsschutz vetting and shift to mainstream groups
The German Family Ministry published new funding criteria for the 'Demokratie leben!' programme, requiring security vetting for applicants and steering money toward established institutions like schools and fire brigades.
- Jun 16
German education report shows inequality gap opens before school, minister demands mandatory language tests
Germany's latest National Education Report finds that the achievement gap between children of different social backgrounds is already formed by the time they start school, and the education minister is pushing for compulsory language diagnostics for all four-year-olds.
- Jun 11
German Ethics Council rejects blanket social media age limit, proposes three-tier risk-based protection model
The German Ethics Council advised against a statutory minimum age for social media on Thursday, arguing it would push minors toward even less regulated AI chatbots and infringe on parental rights.
- May 28
Yad Vashem to Open First-Ever International Education Center in Munich, with Satellite in Leipzig
Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial has chosen Munich as the site for its first educational center outside Israel, with a smaller branch in Leipzig, in a move to combat rising global antisemitism.
