Germany

[DE] Jugendschutz.net Reports Record Number of Youth Protection Infringements on the Internet in 2007

IRIS 2008-9:1/34

Nicole Spoerhase-Eisel

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

In its recently published annual report, jugendschutz.net, the body founded in 1997 by the Youth Ministers of the Bundesländer to monitor youth protection on the Internet and which is attached to the Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for the Protection of Young People in the Media), reported a record number of infringements of youth protection laws on the Internet in 2007.

The organisation reported a total of 2,883 infringements, 10% more than in the previous year.

Most of the infringements were committed on pornographic and extreme right-wing Internet sites. However, social networking sites such as SchülerVZ and Facebook can also be dangerous, since – in the opinion of jugendschutz.net – they encourage children and young people to divulge their personal details on the Internet.

In order to remove the offending material, jugendschutz.net favours co-operation with Internet service providers. It reports that this strategy has already been successful, with 75% of all such material being removed at its request, without the need for any further action.

In 2007, jugendschutz.net dealt with a total of 9,200 complaints and enquiries and checked 7,164 websites. It also continually monitored 65 of the most important chat and community sites.