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Protection of children and young people in the face of the challenges of Web 2.0 Protection of children and young people in the face of the challenges of Web 2.0 Ines Kawgan-Kagan, M.A. Abstract The tasks facing German child protection in the media are complex and constantly need to adapt to new aspects of the Internet. The legal position in Germany, however, is even more complex. Various laws have been simply amended in line with changes on the market. Unfortunately, this has obscured the view of the whole picture and many aspects of child protection in the media are governed differently by an array of laws. Particular mention should be made of the German Protection of Young Persons Act (Jugendschutzgesetz, JuSchG), which applies to computer games, the Interstate Treaty on Child Protection in the Media (Jugendmediaschutz-Staatsvertrag, JMStV), which creates a framework for telemedia services and content, as well as the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB). We need a paradigm shift that includes a uniform and preferably international solution of regulated self-regulation for computer games and other telemedia content and services as well as an extension of the criteria for the age classification of such content and services. The sensitisation and education of children and young people, parents and teachers to the relevant issues is also crucial. 1. Introduction “For this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves.” (Plato, Phaedrus) It is interesting that many people clearly have difficulties in seeing the opportunities in the unknown and unfamiliar instead of just the risks and dangers. When the first railways were introduced at the beginning of the 19th century, even doctors warned against incalculable effects of the high speeds on the brain (Joerges, 1996). The Internet is without a doubt one of the most hotly debated innovations of the modern age; yet it is now hard to imagine life without it. “Screen-based media drastically diminish the ability of children and young people to learn. The consequences are deficiencies in literacy and attentiveness, anxiety and desensitisation, sleeplessness and depression, obesity, violent tendencies and social decline.” (Spitzer, 2012) There are 2,400 years between these quotes. A brain researcher is currently warning against the consequences of digital dementia, just as Plato did long ago, who also feared dementia caused by the introduction of writing – though this obviously turned out to be a success story. The Internet is without a doubt one of the most hotly debated innovations of the modern age; yet it is now hard to imagine life without it. Many parents see a ban as the only way of protecting their children. However, to stand in the way of progress is neither possible nor reasonable and children and young people cannot be completely shielded from the digital world. 2. Background Completely prohibiting children and young people from using the Internet and new media is frankly unfeasible as, from a certain age onwards, parents can no longer Special Edition <strong>2013</strong> 55
Ines Kawgan-Kagan This form of Internet use is largely unsupervised: according to a cross-Europe study, just a third of parents use a filter, and even fewer (27%) use monitoring software. follow their children’s every move and free space is important for development. Further, in the age of mobile devices, there are no clear limits to parental authority. Healthy development depends on us experiencing things for ourselves. This does not mean leaving the younger generation to its own devices, but rather imparting important rules of conduct to them that they can use. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware just how intensively children and young people already use the Internet. Statistics show an ever younger audience using these increasingly frequently. According to the latest KIM (children and media) study, 57% of German children between 6 and 13 have at least occasional experience of the Internet (KIM study, 2011). For two thirds of children the main focus is on keeping in touch with friends. (Schröder, 2012). Yet online games are also a popular pastime on the Internet. This form of Internet use is largely unsupervised: according to a cross- Europe study, just a third of parents use a filter, and even fewer (27%) use monitoring software. The same study reveals that around 80% of parents worry about their children using the Internet. According to another study, the number of users of child protection programs in Germany is even lower at 20% (Hasebrink, 2011), although 95% consider such software to be important. Such discrepancies can be also be explained by a certain feeling of helplessness on the part of the parents. Many simply do not know how to protect their children effectively and what programs afford adequate protection. One of the best-known problems is how to handle private data and the privacy settings on social networks such as Facebook or Myspace. Only 43% of 9 to16-year-olds across Europe use the protection of setting their profile to not public; more than a quarter have no protection whatsoever and have set up a publicly-accessible profile (Haddon et al., 2011). What problems are caused by increased usage behaviour? Common problems are online addiction and cyberbullying. Almost a fifth of 12 to 17-year-olds across Europe, making up more than 4.5 million children and young people, state that they have been victims of cyberbullying (National survey of American attitudes on substance abuse XVI: teens and parents). A key factor here is the length of daily use: the longer social networks are used, the higher the probability of becoming a victim of cyberbullying. Whilst just 3% of children and young people who do not use social networks most days are affected, the probability increases to 33% for those who spend more than an hour online. A further problem is online addiction, and there is a link between this form of addiction and the abuse of other substances such as tobacco, alcohol or drugs (Dyckmans, 2012). In the group of 14 to 16-year-olds 17% of girls exhibit a generally problematic Internet use as compared to 14% of boys Overall 100,000 dependent and 400,000 problematic users can be identified. Social networks are very important for females, whereas boys continue to focus more on games (Schröder, 2012). Next to other problems, such as excessively easy payment systems (such as via the parental phone bill), the phenomenon of cybergrooming is largely unknown. Cybergrooming is the planning and approach phase that precedes and initiates a sexual assault on a minor by an individual (Rüdiger, 2012). The anonymity and the lack of privacy settings provide paedophiles with easy access to potential victims. This problem can be applied equally to online games and their security setting, especially as online games are used increasingly frequently on social networks. Situations involving many children and uncontrolled communication will also attract offenders. According to the current KIM study, today a quarter of all children have already been sexually harassed on the Internet. A US study shows that 48% of the victims of Internet-based sexual offences were between 13 and 14 years old. Actual abuse 56 Special Edition <strong>2013</strong>
Page 1: Fachhochschule Polizei Brandenburg
Page 4 and 5: Editorial Editorial Ladies and Gent
Page 6 and 7: Sex offenders in the virtual worlds
Page 24 and 25: Cybergrooming in the context of cri
Page 36 and 37: Solange Jacobsen and Manuel Mulder
Page 52 and 53: Protection of children and young pe
Page 66 and 67: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrike Lucke
Page 78 and 79: criteria, and responsibilities), an

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