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In its recently published 2025 annual report on the protection of minors on the internet, jugendschutz.net highlighted current risks and the need for action, once again identifying sexualised violence and extremist hate content as key problems online. AI, including AI-powered chatbots also known as AI companions, played a central role in this context. For instance, minors could be exposed to inappropriate content, including sexualised material, both when interacting with chatbots and on AI-powered social media services such as Butterflies.AI, without any effective age verification...

In its judgement of 27 May 2026, the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia (Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordrhein-Westfalen – OVG NRW) (case no. 13 A 2858/24) ruled, with regard to the teleshopping channel QVC, that teleshopping channels are not entitled to preferential visibility through inclusion in the so-called "public value list" maintained by the state media authorities. Section 84 of the Interstate Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag – MStV) obliges providers of smart TVs and other user interfaces to ensure that programmes that make a significant contribution...

On 19 May 2026, the Munich Higher Administrative Court (Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof – VGH) ruled in interim relief proceedings (case no. 7 CE 26.397) that the Free State of Bavaria was obliged to provide online news portal Apollo News with information regarding the names, roles and associated institutions of guests who attended state receptions organised by the Bavarian State Government between 2022 and 2025 as part of the Ludwig Erhard Summit. In cases involving claims for information under press law, urgent legal protection is required where there is a substantial general public...

In its judgement of 28 April 2026 (case no. VI ZR 113/25), the 6th Civil Division of the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – BGH) ruled that, when assessing whether a written news article infringes a subject's general personality rights, conflicting interests protected by fundamental rights must be balanced as a matter of principle, taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. The court had to decide whether a report in the taz newspaper describing a lawyer, named in the report, as a "far-right extremist" infringed his general...

On 5 May 2026, the German media regulatory authorities (Mediananstalt) published their report on accessibility in the private television and streaming sectors. Under Section 7 of the State Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag), and in accordance with Article 7 of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive, nationally licensed, privately owned television broadcasters and providers of television-like telemedia must report every three years on the accessibility of their services and publish action plans setting out measures to improve it. Furthermore, the implementation of the European Accessibility...