An understandable summary of the law for the protection of minors (JuSchG) for foreign youths.
The Youth Protection Act exists to protect young people from certain dangers in public.
Of course, most people know that energy drinks are 14 and over, alcohol 16 and over, and cigarettes 18 and over. But for retailers and especially for young people, there are a number of other restrictions when it comes to the protection of minors.
To whom is the Protection of Minors Act addressed?
It is aimed at children and young people under the age of 18.
Who is a child and who is a youth in Germany?
This is very simple, a child is any person up to 13 years old, from 14 years old you are a youth. Youth stops at the age of 18 and is an adult.
⏩ large overview table of the rules for children and young people in Germany
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Visit restrictions
Kinobesuch
- 1 – 5 years: only accompanied by parents
- 6 – 13 years: without parents cinema showings with the end until 20 o’clock, with parents also longer
- 14 – 15 years: without parents cinema showings with the end until 22 o’clock, with parents longer
- 16 – 17 years: without parents cinema showings with the end until 24 o’clock, with parents longer
Visit restaurants
These include restaurants, fast-food restaurants, pubs, bars, snack bars, cafés, ice cream parlors, beer gardens, as well as hotels and guesthouses.
- In general, children and young people under the age of 16 are not allowed to be in restaurants without their parents or guardians.
- 16 – 17 year olds are allowed to stay in restaurants from 5am to midnight, between midnight and 5am the presence of parents is required.
- Exception: the stay is only for drinking (~30min) or eating (~60min); the minors are on a journey and bridge the waiting time for the next means of transport; events of youth welfare organizations.
Visit to the disco
- Children and teenagers under 16 years are not allowed to visit the disco.
- 16 – 17 year olds are allowed to visit the discotheque until midnight.
- There is no restriction for young people from 14 – 17 years accompanied by parents/guardians.
Gambling halls and gambling
Here the rules are clear and simple:
Children and young people are not allowed to participate in any kind of gambling. These are amusement arcades and casinos, lottery, scratch cards, poker, sports betting and slot machines in restaurants.
Exception: Goods profit on fairs and public festivals – here, however, the profit may not exceed 25€.
Visit brothels and nightclubs
Here it is even easier:
The visit of minors(anyone under 18 years of age) to nightclubs, brothels, nudist bars, swingers clubs, drug transshipment centers, places of street prostitution and the like is prohibited without any restrictions.
Alkohol
Here, the legislator distinguishes between consumption and sale.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages
In principle, the rules here are also kept very simple.
- From 14 – 15 years old it is allowed to enjoy beer, wine, sparkling wine and similar low-proof drinks in public with parents.
- 16 – 17 year olds are allowed to consume beer, wine, sparkling wine and similar drinks in public.
- Important: Even if they are low-percentage drinks, they must not have high-percentage spirits mixed in them. So-called alcopops, which are also specially labeled, are therefore only available and to be consumed from the age of 18.
Purchase of alcoholic beverages
This is where things get tight, young people aged 16 – 17 are only allowed to buy beer, wine or sparkling wine.
Cigarette, tobacco, shisha and e-cigarette smoking among the German public
All these stimulants are strictly forbidden to children and adolescents under 18 years in the German public, even in the presence of parents. Of course, there is a small exception and this concerns the private area – so apartment, garden, balcony, etc., here the parents are responsible… Theoretically, the parents can allow a 14 year old teenager to smoke…
I will not go into the restrictions in media, games and Internet here, because it has too little relevance for a tourist visit to Germany. Just as little will be of interest to you the rules and regulations for the merchants and restaurateurs as tourists.
The youth protection table for activities without parents, as of: 2022
| 6-13 Jahre | 14-15 Jahre | 16-17 Jahre | |
| Cinema until 20h | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cinema until 22h | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cinema until 24h | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Restaurant 5 – 24 o’clock | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Restaurant 5 – 24 o’clock only eat and drink or youth event | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Casino, Lotto | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Fair, carnival for goods winnings under 25€ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Brothel, night club, swingers club, drug transshipment point, street Prostitution | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| drink alcohol(beer, wine, champagne) in public | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| buy alcohol (beer, wine, champagne) in public | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Smoking – cigarettes, shisha, E-cigarette | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The Youth Protection Table for Activities with Parents, as of 2022.
| 6-13 Jahre | 14-15 Jahre | 16-17 Jahre | |
| Cinema until 20h | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cinema until 22h | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cinema until 24h | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Restaurant 5 – 24 o’clock | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Spielhalle, Casino, Lotto | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Fair, carnival for goods winnings under 25€ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Brothel, night club, swingers club, drug transshipment point, street Prostitution | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| drink alcohol(beer, wine, champagne) in public | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| drink alcohol(beer, wine, champagne) in private | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Smoking – cigarettes, shisha, E-cigarette | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |