“Upskirting” refers to secretly taking photos under skirts. Smartphones have made this unacceptable behavior more widespread. It is not only an invasion of privacy, but also serious sexual harassment. We explain why it is important to educate children and young people about upskirting and its consequences and offer practical advice on how to deal with the issue.
The worrying phenomenon of upskirting refers to secretly photographing or filming under a person’s skirt or dress. Those affected often don’t even realize when someone is recording this particularly personal and intimate area. Smartphones are now so small and handy that very good photos can be taken at lightning speed with or without a selfie stick, even in poor light.
This inappropriate and even punishable behavior often takes place on public transport, on escalators, in shopping centers, at events or even at school. It is not only a violation of privacy, but also a blatant form of sexual harassment that has serious consequences. Similarly problematic and also punishable by law is “downblousing”, the secret photographing or filming of the neckline.
Some perpetrators only use the recordings for themselves. However, they often share the images and films on the internet, for example in messaging services or on porn platforms. In 2020, the offense of “violation of private life through image recordings” was added to the Criminal Code(Section 184k StGB), with fines or even prison sentences of up to two years.
Being photographed under the skirt or in the cleavage excludes men who dress according to classic role models. In this country, upskirting is likely to mainly affect girls, women and trans* and inter* people. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to this as they may not fully understand what is happening or how to protect themselves from it.
Young people explore their surroundings and their own boundaries, which can lead to risky behavior. The fascination with the unknown, coupled with a lack of awareness of the consequences of their actions, can tempt young people to behave rashly.
Upskirting is not only a blatant violation of privacy, but can also have serious psychological effects on the victims. The dissemination of such images can have a lasting impact on the lives of those affected. It is essential to point out the seriousness of these actions and to emphasize their social and legal consequences.
Open communication: Talk to your child about the importance of privacy and treating others with respect. Create a space where your child can ask questions. Emphasize that no one has the right to violate your child’s personal boundaries.
Raise awareness: Explain the consequences of upskirting, not only legally, but also in terms of the emotional impact on victims. Show how such actions affect trust and security in society.
Digital responsibility: Teach your child how to use media responsibly and point out the legal consequences of inappropriate behavior. It is important that your child understands that actions online have just as real an impact as in offline life.
Build trust: Establish a relationship of trust with your child so that they can contact you if something unpleasant happens to them. Assure them that you will support them and look for solutions together.
Talk to your child: Let your child know that it is okay to confide in you and listen carefully.
Report the incident: Upskirting is a criminal offense and should be reported to the police. Encourage and support your child to do this. Upskirting violates personal rights and infringes the right to sexual self-determination. This means that no one may be turned into a sex object against their will. One law provides for a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine.
Even those who do not take photographs themselves but distribute unauthorized intimate images or make them accessible to others can be punished. Upskirting is not a piquant peccadillo, but a sexual offense.
Seek professional help: Upskirting can have an emotional impact. If necessary, seek help to help your child come to terms with the situation.
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Especially adolescents in puberty want to discover their own sexuality, try themselves out and test how they affect other people. This also happens in the digital space via messenger or social network. We explain what sexting is and what you should watch out for.
So sexting means sending erotic messages, revealing pictures or videos, like pictures in shorts, swimsuit or being completely topless. In doing so, you want to put yourself in the scene as sexy as possible in order to appear attractive to your counterpart. By the way, sexting is not a phenomenon that occurs only among young people. On the contrary, adults send such pictures much more often.
Basically, sexting is not a bad thing: it can be a proof of love, an attempt to impress your crush or simply testing your own impact. However, a fundamental problem arises: relationships between people change. Trust is not always a given. You can’t know what will happen to your own images. For example, images that were sent consensually and in confidence may then be forwarded to others without being asked or without consent.
So sexting itself is not bad, but the misuse of the images by other people is the problem – and can also be punishable. Young people whose images are used are the victims in this case. They are not to be condemned at all.
Educate your child about sexting. Speak frankly and respect privacy yourself of your child. In this way, you can support your child in using digital media safely and responsibly. Help your child develop healthy self-esteem and encourage him or her to confide in an adult if he or she has been harassed, threatened, or a victim of sexting abuse. If this ever happens: Help your child report the abuse and have the relevant material deleted, Explain to your child that he or she did nothing wrong. At www.safer-sexting.de you and your child can get extensive information about what is allowed when sexting, what to watch out for, what to urgently refrain from and where to get support.
Almost everyone knows the term. This refers to insulting, exposing or threatening people via the Internet and smartphone, e.g. via apps such as Snapchat, WhatsApp or Instagram. But not every message or post on a social media profile with the content “Martin is dumb!” endangers your child’s development.
Bullying has not just existed since social media came into existence. But since almost everyone has a smartphone these days, it doesn’t stop for them when they get out of school in the afternoon. Children and young people are in quasi constant contact with each other, e.g. via class chat on WhatsApp.
Bullying is mostly cyberbullying at the same time, because some people dare to spread mean thing about others and insult them more via cell phone. Sometimes disputes or bullying start in class or in the schoolyard and get worse via communication on the net.
There are people who behave less socially on the Internet than usual. If you show your child that rules of friendly interaction also apply online, hopefully others will behave in the same way. You can talk to other parents about making certain rules apply to everyone.
When children and young people communicate with each other, there are always times when insults are used. This does not have to be bullying, but is often just a joke. They use it to test how far they can go. However, this limit is different for each child.
Regularly ask what your child is doing online, talk to him about possible risks. Be responsive when it encounters problems. Show him ways to block individual users in the apps. On portals like juuuport, your child can get in touch with peers if he or she is afraid to tell you about problems online.
If you notice that your child withdraws and no longer meets friends, you should carefully ask what is behind it. If you are concerned about being bullied, you can contact the classroom teacher. If it really is bullying, be sure to preserve the evidence on your child’s phone, such as screenshots. Certain behaviors associated with bullying – such as threatening, defaming, and disseminating photos of others – are even punishable by law.
In case of massive threats, you should definitely go to the police. You should also report bullying incidents on the platforms where they occurred.
