Germany

[DE] Internet Filters Provide Inadequate Youth Protection

IRIS 2008-2:1/15

Anne Baranowski

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for the protection of minors in the media - KJM ) has, for the second time, found "serious deficiencies" in youth protection filters tested via "jugendschutz.net", a youth protection site set up by the Bundesländer to provide information about youth protection on the Internet. Minimal progress has been made in this area since 2006. None of the systems tested offered adequate protection for children and young people against harmful Internet content; none of the youth protection filters met the legal requirements. Overall, they were not effective enough, particularly in blocking harmful or dangerous portrayals of violence, right-wing extremism, addiction and gambling. They also blocked too much content that was specifically aimed at children and young people (known as overblocking).

The KJM is therefore urging the Internet industry in particular to develop and distribute effective youth protection filters and an automatic age-based classification procedure. Efforts should be made to offer Internet access aimed at different age groups.