opinion poll
Many children contacted on the net with sexual intentions
According to a survey on the Internet, a quarter of all children and adolescents in Germany have been asked to meet up by adults. Photo: Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A survey by the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia has revealed shocking figures. Especially via Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat, children and young people are confronted with sexual intentions.
According to a survey on the Internet, a quarter of all children and adolescents in Germany have been asked to meet up by adults.
24 percent of the more than 2100 representatively surveyed adolescents between eight and 18 years had this experience. And one in seven (14 percent) was asked by an adult to undress and turn on the webcam or smartphone camera. This was the result of a survey commissioned by the State Media Authority in North Rhine-Westphalia. The numbers are frightening, emphasized the director of the state institute, Tobias Schmid, on Thursday in Düsseldorf.
In November, 2,163 children and young people between eight and 18 years of age were surveyed by the KB&B Family Marketing Experts institute. The focus was on so-called cybergrooming – the contact between adults and minors with sexual intentions. Every sixth adolescent (16 percent) stated that an adult online contact had promised them something in return for a video or photo. And 15 percent said they had been sent nude pictures without being asked.
Children and young people describe such experiences across all school types, although secondary school or vocational school students are confronted with them more often. There are no significant differences between girls and boys. A look at the channels used shows that those affected receive sexualized address primarily via Instagram, followed by WhatsApp and Snapchat – but also in online games such as “FIFA22” or “Minecraft”.
«We have to protect children and young people from these attacks without restricting their freedoms. We have to educate people without causing fear, »warned Schmid. The perpetrators would have to be held accountable. Media supervision, the rule of law and society are all required in view of the drastic survey results. Many of the children and young people interviewed would also like to deal with the topic more intensively in school or discuss it with their parents. A good third would like to report suspected cyber-grooming to the police or to have it checked independently.