Whether in class chats, on social media or via a search engine – many children and young people come across pornography while surfing, whether intentionally or not. According to a study conducted by the NRW Media Authority in 2023, the average age of first contact is 13, which is nothing unusual.
However, according to the JIM study by the Media Education Research Association Southwest 2023, one in four of the 12-19-year-olds surveyed came into contact with pornography unintentionally. When children and young people are unintentionally exposed to pornographic photos or videos, it can be overwhelming and stressful for them. It becomes particularly critical when it comes to so-called “hard pornography”.
In the case of pornographic content, a distinction is made between simple and hardcore pornography:
You can find out more about the legal provisions on pornography on the Internet here at klicksafe.
Accompany your child as they take their first steps on the Internet and explain to them that they may come across content that they find unpleasant. If your child accidentally comes into contact with simple pornography, be there for them as a contact person. Especially with younger children, it is important not to leave them alone with such experiences. They are often unable to properly categorize what they see because it is outside their own sphere of experience. Provide age-appropriate information if your child asks questions about love and sexuality. If you are unsure, seek support, for example from the parents’ helpline of the Nummer gegen Kummer.
If your child shows you prohibited content of hard pornography on the Internet, for example on a website or social media, proceed as follows:
The possession of depictions of abuse is a punishable offense; young people aged 14 and over are liable to prosecution in Germany. If your child is sent a photo or video via chat that is suspected of showing abuse of children and young people, you should act immediately:
Discuss these points with your child. The Internet Complaints Office has summarized further information on how to deal with misrepresentations on the Internet in this PDF document.
Keep in touch with your child about their media use and prepare them for the fact that they may be confronted with problematic content or communication risks online. Establish media rules in the family that everyone adheres to. For example, not responding to contact from strangers or not clicking on links that strangers share in chat messages or emails. For younger children in particular, use technical measures to protect minors from harmful media, such as filter programs for surfing or children’s accounts for apps. Make settings such as deactivating the automatic media download on WhatsApp so that your child does not accidentally save prohibited material. Explain to your child what is allowed and what is not allowed when it comes to pornography. Make it clear to your child when forwarding pornographic content makes them liable to prosecution. In this article, you can read more tips on how you can help your child deal with pornography online and how you can protect them from content that is harmful to minors with the help of technical youth media protection.
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.
Erotic media content or even porn is actually not for children and teenagers. But because they are curious and want to test their limits, Internet services such as OnlyFans can be exciting from adolescence onward.
On the website OnlyFans users can more or less view photos and videos of other users. Among them are also erotic and pornographic contents, which, however, are shown only after payment.
Unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, OnlyFans is not financed by advertising. Instead, users pay a monthly subscription fee or a one-time “pay-per-view” for content from individual providers (known as creators) – which can be videos, photos or music. It’s about Creator responding to the wishes of their fans and also revealing personal things. Sexual content does not violate the terms of use on the site, and so money can be earned with revealing appearances.
There is content of all kinds on the platform. German celebrities have also discovered OnlyFans as a source of income. So, for $5 a month, you get a subscription to German rapper Fler. This is also very popular with young people. What he offers on OnlyFans, he keeps secret so far. For young fans, this can lead to the desire to become active on OnlyFans as well, so as not to miss anything.
Children and young people also come into contact with the site through Internet stars they follow on YouTube or Instagram. Increasingly, they also offer their content on OnlyFans and advertise it on their other channels. The site now seems to be so relevant to the younger target group that even Bravo writes about it .
Although the site can be used officially only from 18 years, registration is possible without age verification. Only if you want to share content yourself, you have to prove that you are of age. So kids and teens can sign up on OnlyFans, follow other users, and even write private messages. If they have access to a credit card, they can even get into the paid area.
Since more and more celebrities and influencers are also active on the platform, children and young people can become aware of OnlyFans through them via other channels.
There is also harmless content on OnlyFans. But the proximity to erotic and pornographic content makes it possible for children and young people to come into contact with content that is unsuitable for them. There are also sites circulating on the Internet that allegedly allow you to use OnlyFans ‘ paid content without paying or using a credit card.
Talk openly with your child about which social media platforms they are on and what they are doing there. It may encounter content that is not yet appropriate for its age, such as OnlyFans. Address the dangers and risks and explain factually why such sites are unsuitable.
Older teenagers in particular want to learn about their sexuality and use erotic content from the Internet to do so. This is quite natural, but can also lead to problems. Read more in our article “Help, my child watches porn!“. If your child has already come into contact with erotic or pornographic content on the site, you should also discuss this together. Allow your child to ask questions or admit when he or she is overwhelmed. If you feel you can’t help your child at home, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. One place to start may be school psychologists. A wide range of counseling services for children, adolescents and parents is also offered by the Nummer-gegen-Kummer (number against grief).
When one’s child grows up and lives relationship, sexting also occurs. Media educator Björn Schreiber explains what this is and what your child should be aware of.
