Sexting. Porn. Abuse.
This section covers everything related to pornography, sexting, cybergrooming, and sextortion. Why are we grouping these topics together? Because all of this takes place online and can influence the sexual development of children and adolescents—ranging from activities that are generally permitted to those that are strictly prohibited.
Why are we the ones addressing this? Our mission is to ensure the protection of minors. We do this by ensuring that the law is upheld and by enforcing the provisions of our laws designed to protect minors. We educate people about topics like sexting, raise awareness, and, above all, offer help to those affected. Our goal is to protect children and adolescents from unwanted sexual contact.
What is permitted, and what is prohibited? Children and adolescents often become not only victims but also offenders because, for example, they don’t know what to do with “dick pics” that are sent to them unintentionally. To prevent exactly that, it’s important that we talk about it.
Sexting
Sexting, a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting,” refers to the exchange of erotic messages, photos, and videos.
We’re raising awareness because young people often become not only victims but also perpetrators—and that’s a problem. With our campaign, we’re raising awareness about sexting and aim to educate young people in particular, as well as their parents and teachers. For many young people, this form of digital communication plays an important role, which is perfectly fine—but here’s the thing: if those involved are minors, they need to follow some ground rules to protect themselves and others from potential consequences.
You can also read about the rules for safe sexting and find lots more information on the Safer Sexting website.
Internet Pornography—We Enforce the Law
This is a gray area, as pornography is not prohibited in principle. However, there are important limits to what is permitted. The reason is the protection of minors from harmful media, since pornography, depictions of violence, or highly distressing content can impair the free personal development of children and adolescents. In serious cases, such content is even harmful to minors. Effective protection of minors from harmful media must therefore ensure that children and adolescents can navigate digital media freely and, above all, safely without encountering content that could potentially hinder their development or be harmful to them. The goal is to make it more difficult for children and adolescents to access this content and thus protect them.
What are we doing?
We actively combat violations on the internet and establish the framework to ensure that everyone can navigate the digital space without fear. Providers of pornographic material must ensure that children and adolescents can only view content online that is appropriate for them. We take legal action against providers who fail to do so and thus disregard youth protection laws.
What kinds of content are inappropriate for children and adolescents?
Content That Hinders Development
Children and adolescents should therefore be able to develop into “self-reliant and socially competent” individuals. Certain types of media content may hinder this development.
But what exactly constitutes content on the Internet that impairs development?
Generally speaking, this refers to content that minors at their respective age levels are emotionally unable to process—content that may overwhelm, unsettle, or frighten them. This includes, for example, erotic depictions that fall just short of pornography, violent video games, and images of war zones presented without any context.
Such content may generally be distributed on the Internet, but the respective providers must ensure that children and adolescents do not typically come into contact with it.
How can this be implemented?
On television, this is relatively simple. Content with an age restriction is broadcast only at specific, later times, since it is generally assumed that children no longer watch linear television after a certain hour.
On the internet, however, content providers have various options for ensuring the protection of minors from content that could be harmful to their development. First, similar to the broadcast time restrictions on television, they can make content accessible only at certain times. Some media libraries, among others, make use of this option. Second, users’ ages can be verified by entering their ID number. In addition, providers can label their websites with an age rating that can be read by youth protection programs deemed suitable.
Pornography
What exactly counts as “ordinary” pornography? “Ordinary” pornography refers to a depiction that, without regard for other human contexts, prominently features sexual acts in a crudely intrusive manner and is, in its entirety, intended exclusively or predominantly for sexual stimulation.
Pornographic depictions may generally be distributed on the Internet. However, they must not be freely accessible, as they are classified as content harmful to minors. The provider must therefore ensure, through closed user groups with appropriate age verification, that only adults have access to this content.
Content That Is Absolutely Prohibited
In principle, a wide range of content is prohibited on the Internet and may therefore not be disseminated there. This includes, first and foremost, “hardcore” pornography. Contrary to its common usage, this term refers here to depictions that involve acts of violence or sexual acts involving children, adolescents, or animals.
Political extremism, glorification of war, and violations of human dignity
Other depictions and content that are also prohibited on the Internet include symbols of unconstitutional organizations, incitement to hatred, trivialization of acts committed under Nazi rule, content that glorifies war, and content that violates human dignity—in particular through the depiction of people dying or being subjected to severe physical or mental suffering.