Anyone who smears a swastika on a house wall will be punished for it. But the street has long since ceased to be the sole place for the dissemination of forbidden symbols. On the internet, one click is all it takes to share a text, image or video with prohibited content with numerous readers. As in the physical world, there are also rules in the digital world. We provide information about prohibited symbols on the Internet.
It is forbidden to use signs of unconstitutional organizations. This is stated in Section 86a of the Criminal Code. Such marks are symbols that can be clearly assigned to a specific organization, such as the swastika. Slogans such as “Heil Hitler” are also banned because they clearly refer to National Socialism. Unconstitutional organizations are banned parties, associations or Nazi organizations.
Sharing prohibited symbols online is not always punishable by law. For example, if someone writes “Heil Hitler” in a private chat, this has no legal consequences. However, if the same person shares this publicly on platforms such as Facebook, X or TikTok, it is punishable by law. The distribution of such symbols in public spaces is prohibited by law.
Parents are not liable for their children if they share prohibited content under the age of 14. However, in most cases the youth welfare office is informed, which works with the parents and child to try to work through the background to the sharing. From the age of 14, juveniles can be prosecuted under the Criminal Code.
Children can share forbidden symbols such as the swastika or SS runes online with a simple click, without understanding the potential legal consequences. In what way prohibited symbols are shared does not matter. Whether in text, photos or videos – public sharing in itself is punishable by law. That’s what makes it so treacherous, especially for children. Because a video or meme that seems funny at first glance may contain prohibited symbols. Anyone who is not familiar with it has quickly shared it and thus spread prohibited content.
It is also problematic that some symbols are banned in Germany, while they are permitted in other parts of the world. Symbols from the Nazi era in particular may be legally shared online in some countries. This is why children can unknowingly google, download and share the swastika – despite the ban in Germany. Extremist groups often use social networks to share banned symbols and content, as many people are reached and tracking is often difficult.
Education and guidance: Find out together with your child which symbols are prohibited and why, in order to develop a better understanding of potentially problematic content. It is important and permitted to show such symbols for educational purposes and to explain the background and consequences. A good and quick overview is provided by the Democracy and Diversity website and the NinA NRW project. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has detailed descriptions of various distinctive signs and symbols of right-wing extremist movements.
Delete and report: If you or your child receive a forbidden symbol in private chats, delete it immediately. If you discover any on the Internet, it is important to report them to the police or to complaints offices on the Internet.
Open communication: Encourage an open exchange about online activities. Encourage your child to talk about their experiences online, including unpleasant or worrying situations.
Encourage critical thinking: Strengthen your child’s critical thinking in the online environment. Discuss how to critically scrutinize news and content on the Internet.
Against trivialization: Take an active stand against the trivialization of prohibited symbols. Explain to your child that these symbols represent extremist ideologies in today’s world.
For resistance: Encourage your child to take a stand against the distribution of prohibited symbols. Promote a positive online community, stand up for tolerance and democratic values.
The Internet, especially social networks, floods us daily with countless news, messages and stories. In the process, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between truth and deception. Teaching children how to recognize false information on the Internet is a real challenge. This article offers practical advice on how to deal with disinformation and false news on the Internet and how to talk to your child about it.
The many news items, reports and stories that we encounter every day usually come from television programs, daily newspapers, people in our environment or well-known personalities. Many are spread by lesser-known people on the Internet and through messenger services like WhatsApp. However, the senders also include websites and people who intentionally spread lies or half-truths in order to cause confusion. They deliberately spread disinformation, rumors, or even hateful messages designed to stir up insecurity and deliberately deceive us.
It is not only difficult for children and young people to distinguish trustworthy news from fake news. Because often these fake news are so skillfully made that at first glance they look like serious news . This can be problematic, especially when it comes to political contributions with an extremist or populist background or when conspiracy theories are spread. Content that can unsettle or frighten younger children in particular is also problematic. Deep fake videos in particular look deceptively real. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize the differences between disinformation, false news and satire.
Disinformation spreads especially when people are insecure anyway and even experts or politicians do not have answers to all questions – such as during the Corona crisis and the Ukraine war. Fake news often provides the answers you want and can help deal with uncertainty. Unfortunately, they are not true. Questions like “Are the vaccines safe, too?” or “Where does the virus come from?” are answered with inappropriate numbers and false facts. The problem with this is that the more often such articles are clicked on, the more often they are displayed – and people believe them to be true. That’s why it’s important to realize that not everything you read is necessarily true.
Determining whether it is indeed a hoax can be a tricky task. Therefore, it is helpful to follow clear steps to curb the spread of disinformation:
Check where the message came from and who wrote it. Is the author known and expert on the subject? Is it a reputable website?
Try to verify the message with different sources. Ask yourself how up-to-date the information is and check where the figures and data mentioned come from as well as the context in which they were collected.
Pay attention to the way the message is presented. Is the language serious and factual, or is emotional language and excessive capitalization used? Does the article contain catchwords such as “lying press” or similar provocative terms? Could the article be meant satirically?
Make sure photos and videos match the message and are up-to-date. Pay attention to captions and whether they actually represent what is being described or are from another context.
Discuss news and messages together as a family. Your child should understand that not everything on the Internet or sent via WhatsApp does not have to be true. If you check messages together, it can gradually learn to distinguish true from false. Ask for your child’s opinion and share your own thoughts. This will help you and your child be more confident and prepared to recognize and counter disinformation and fake news on the Internet.
Fake news spreads especially when many people forward or share it. Therefore, you should always consider whether a message can really be true. Here are some tips on where to check Fake News and how you and your child can learn to deal with it in a fun way:
Cyberbullying, harassment, extremist content – some app and social network operators can delete images and other content if it is brought to their attention. A crucial step in this direction is reporting online problems. This article introduces hotlines.
Reporting problematic behavior or content enables the responsible institutions and organizations to act quickly and protect your child. By reporting, you can help prevent similar incidents in the future, for example by removing a shocking video. In some cases, problematic online behavior can have criminal consequences. Reporting such incidents can help ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
Some of the most common types of online problems that should be reported:
You can always report a problem directly in the app where it occurs. For example, if it violates the usage policy, threatens security, or harasses. Or when it is urgent and requires immediate action. Reporting in the app enables faster response and action from app administrators. To do this, look for an option like “Report,” “Send feedback,” or “Help” – these are often located in the app’s settings or menu.
In addition, there are official hotlines set up specifically to report problematic online behavior:
Young people can report problematic content such as hate speech or extremist comments to the contact point. The website also offers information and advice on communication risks such as cyberbullying and sexual harassment. Young scouts offer online advice via contact form and messenger on stress on the Internet, dealing with beauty images, media addiction and much more.
The FSM is an institution concerned with the protection of children and young people in the media. The FSM’s complaints office enables parents and other users to report problematic content on the Internet. The complaints office examines the reports and can take action to stop the dissemination of problematic content if necessary.
This government agency deals with the protection of minors from harmful media in Germany. Here you can report violations related to content harmful to minors. The website provides clear guidance and advice on how to report problematic content. In addition, jugendschutz.net informs about current developments in the field of youth media protection.
The Internet Complaint Center is a central point of contact for reporting illegal content on the Internet, especially in connection with child sexual abuse. It works closely with the relevant law enforcement agencies to remove such content and prosecute offenders.
Familiarize yourself with the various reporting options. Do not hesitate to take advantage of them. Educate your child about potential conflicts online. Encourage it to tell you about problems. Use parental control settings and programs.
Keep an eye on your child’s online activities and stay in the loop so you can respond to problems early.
In addition, if you feel overwhelmed or unsure about how to deal with certain online issues, you can seek counseling services. There are some counseling services for youth and parents. The number against sorrow offers, for example, a youth counseling service and a parents’ hotline for problems such as excessive demands, worries or parenting problems.
Right-wing extremists and Islamists are increasingly looking for supporters on the Internet – including in the gaming community. Their goal is to convince gamers of their views. This happens in the games themselves, but also in the chat and forums of Steam, Twitch or Discord. Some young people are susceptible to such extremist speech and should be prepared for it.
Video games are a widespread leisure activity. Young people in particular like to play online. Young people are looking for orientation, trying out different roles. This helps them to form their own identity. Parents are no longer necessarily the first point of contact. Some teens are lonely and looking for connection online. This makes some of them vulnerable to extremist speech. Right-wing extremists and Islamists in particular are deliberately trying to find young supporters for their inhuman ideologies in games.
The very direct and harsh language that prevails in many gaming chats and forums sometimes also contains racist, homophobic and sexist elements. This communication can lead to the spread of hate messages and cyberbullying. Some far-right groups, such as the “Identitarian Movement,” use gaming communities to spread their messages.
Extremists usually play inconspicuously in popular games, while scattering individual racist or ideological statements in the chat. That’s how they test to see if anyone responds. If that’s the case, they send them links or invitations via groups on social networks, messenger apps, or forums. In these mostly closed groups, extremist content is shared and new followers are gained in this way. In some cases, extremists try to make direct contact with young people in private chats in games or forums. This is especially dangerous when young people are lonely and grateful for contact, especially with older and more experienced players.
Moreover, in addition to direct access to gamers in games or forums, extremists use elements from the gaming community for their propaganda. For example, the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty, which realistically depicts acts of war, has been used by the terrorist organization IS to recruit gamers. They advertised that young people in IS could make the game a reality. Thus, gamers could continue playing not only there, as after death in the game, but in paradise.
It is important to know that many extremist contents violate applicable laws and are harmful to minors or even punishable by law. As is the case everywhere on the Internet, platform operators or service providers often do not react until such content is reported to them.
In the major social networks such as Facebook or YouTube, propaganda by extremists is usually deleted directly by the operators. With smaller services, such as Steam, Twitch or Discord, which are often used by the gaming community, this is often not so easy. As a result, extremist content is spread time and again.
There are isolated mechanisms in games, on gaming platforms and forums that are intended to make things difficult for extremists, such as word filters or the possibility of reporting problematic users. But these mechanisms can be easily circumvented and rarely lead to the prevention of extremist speech.
The most important thing is to talk to your child and take an interest in the game world he or she is in. Ask your child what they experience in online games and who they interact with. Be open and listen when your child tells you about it. Make your child aware that there are also people in games and on gaming platforms who have bad intentions and want to persuade them to do bad things.
If you see signs of your child’s exposure to extremist speech, talk to him or her and seek help. An overview of contact points is available from the Federal Agency for Civic Education. In particularly serious cases, you should contact the police. This can also be done on the Internet via the online guards.
If you notice extremist content with inciting or war-glorifying statements in forums or social networks, you can also report them to the Internet Complaints Office.
Young people are in the process of developing their own identity. This includes forming an opinion on everything possible. They ask themselves questions to which there are not always easy answers. This can be very confusing. Some young people therefore particularly long for clarity. Simple answers, clear structures and rules – this is exactly what extremists want to offer them with their ideas, which are only black or white, but know no shades of gray.
Extremists usually convey their worldview through simplified content and short statements. They use current network trends, such as entertaining videos and images, to reach young people in particular with their extreme political statements. These include memes, for example, in which a message is memorably spread via a supposedly funny picture. People prefer to share such content via popular social networks such as YouTube, WhatsApp or Facebook. False reports are also often used to unsettle people and push them politically in one direction. However, certain content is not necessarily recognizable as extremist at first glance, especially for young people.
Right-wing extremists and Islamists are particularly active on the Internet. If their propaganda is clearly recognizable, it can usually be quickly deleted by the platform operators. That is why extremists are switching to lesser-known and less tightly controlled online sites, such as the Russian platform vk.com. A large part of the communication is not even visible to the public, but takes place in closed groups, e.g. on Telegram or Facebook.
Both right-wing extremists and Islamists like to see themselves in the role of victims. They pretend to be oppressed by their own or other states. Right-wing extremists in Germany often speak of the so-called “lying press.” They accuse the media of being controlled by the government, which is why extreme right-wing opinions have no voice. Both groups also express criticism of capitalism. This is particularly dangerous, since aspects of the criticism are entirely justified and are also shared by many young people. Extremists use this to win them over to their cause. More recently, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (i.e., theories directed against Jews) have again been increasingly spread from both camps. These conspiracy theories are now also appearing among musicians popular with young people – for example, in some songs by the German rapper Kollegah.
That’s why it’s especially important to talk to your children about what’s on their minds. Which topics are particularly hotly debated among friends? What images and videos do they look at and share? Also address the goals that certain groups pursue when they post content with extreme political statements online.
Make your child aware that anyone can express their opinion on the Internet and that, unfortunately, people with bad intentions also do so. That’s why you can’t just trust all content, you have to question it. On the site knowyourmeme.com, well-known memes can be looked up, including their history (unfortunately, the site is only available in English). Mimikama.at is a good place to check the truth of messages from social networks such as Facebook.
If you or your child come across obviously extremist content, you can report it directly to the platform operators. With large offerings like Facebook and YouTube, this is done with just a few clicks. In general, you can also use the Internet Complaint Center. In particularly serious cases, it may make sense to contact the police directly. In most federal states, this is now done online via a so-called Internet watch.
