TikTok ban for seniors?! When the podcaster becomes a net policeman

"Dieter, get your ID ready - you're too old for TikTok!"

ARD podcaster Levi Penell caused quite a stir on the talk show Hart aber fair - with a proposal that sounds like it's straight out of a satirical sketch. His idea: exclude people over 60 from social media platforms such as TikTok. Why? Because they supposedly fall for fakes and AI tricks more easily than young people.

Admittedly: Penell sold the whole thing as a "provocative proposal". But the applause in the studio shows that he certainly struck a nerve with his steep thesis - or at least wanted to cause a stir. Along the lines of: if children should be protected, why not grandma and grandpa too?

Young people know better? Really?

Penell's argument: Young users recognize AI-generated content better than older users - which is why we need to think about age restrictions in the other direction. The thesis: "Perhaps we need a social media ban for older people."

But wait a minute: Isn't this exactly the same age discrimination reflex that we otherwise rightly criticize? When someone suggests banning certain content for teenagers, there is often a huge outcry. But when it comes to older people, everything seems to be allowed?

Former "heute" presenter Petra Gerster put it in a nutshell: for older people in particular, social media is often the last remaining window to the world - when friends die, family members move away and everyday working life is a thing of the past. TikTok, Facebook & Co. not only protect against loneliness, they also enable exchange, education and sometimes even fun. Why should people over 60 be deprived of this right?

Protection if necessary, but no paternalism

Sorry, but this proposal is a digital age insult dressed up as a podcaster. Anyone who calls for people over 60 to be excluded from social networks across the board is acting as if they are a threat to democracy. Levi Penell overlooks one very fundamental point: there is a world of difference between protecting children online and controlling adults. And there are good reasons for this.

Children and young people are developing - cognitively, emotionally and socially. They are more impressionable, more susceptible to manipulation, peer pressure and toxic content. Young people may be able to identify AI-generated content more easily, but if not, they often lack the critical thinking, knowledge or maturity to classify this misinformation accordingly. This is why protective mechanisms are needed here: not out of mistrust, but out of care. Children are not small adults - and that is precisely why there are youth protection laws, media education and, yes, sensible age limits on the internet.

But adults? They are responsible for themselves. They can vote, sign contracts, drive a car or even own weapons. If someone aged 65 has a Facebook discussion about vaccinations or looks at cooking recipes on TikTok, then that is primarily their decision. And if that person believes false information, then that's not nice - but it's also no justification for a digital expulsion. You don't protect democracy by shutting out opinions. You protect it by taking responsible people seriously - even if they think differently.