An open letter to the German Chancellor addresses the task of protecting children's rights in the digital environment.

The impact of social media on the mental health of children and adolescents is a growing concern for society. In a discussion paper published in July 2025, the German National Academy of Sciences (Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina e.V.) described the current situation as part of a „global mental health crisis“ affecting young people. The paper set out concrete recommendations for action to address this challenge.

The European Commission has formally adopted the Decision to launch the Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. This new expert group will bring together policymakers, experts, and practitioners to address the prevention of sexualized violence against children and young people, both online and offline. Its establishment marks an important milestone in child protection in the EU.

More and more children and young people are being exposed to sexual violence on the internet. The latest figures from the 2024 German Police Crime Statistics (PKS) and new analyses by the Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM) and jugendschutz.net show that the extent and forms of digital sexual violence continue to increase. You can read more about this topic in this article.

During the summer holidays, families spend time together and create many special memories, whether they're swimming, playing games or eating ice cream. These memories are invaluable to caregivers and relatives alike. However, sharing images of children on social networks can pose risks.

When age verification is discussed at a conference on trust and safety on the Internet, it is easy to assume that the confidentiality of the data used in such procedures is the issue. Surprisingly, however, the focus at TrustCon is much more on the contribution that age verification can make to a safe and age-appropriate online experience for minors.

On the second and third days of TrustCon, the focus was on procedures for assessing the impact on children's rights (Child Rights Impact Assessment) and regulatory sandboxes.

We are the new kids on the block taking part for the first time in TrustCon, an international conference on trust and safety in the digital world. And we are excited how prominently children’s best interest in the digital environment features among this highly technology oriented crowd.

Germany has taken a decisive step in the fight against sexual violence against children. The newly adopted law, the Gesetz zur Stärkung der Strukturen gegen sexuelle Gewalt an Kindern und Jugendlichen (UBSKMG), introduces measures to strengthen structures against sexual violence against children and young people.

The final day of the IGF 2025 was all about multistakeholderism. As the IGF is the only global platform that enables individuals and organisations from around the world to raise issues related to the internet, it is praised for its lively discussions, which are informed by the participants expertise. However, it is also criticised for failing to deliver tangible outcomes and results.

Children's rights took center stage in the Plenary Hall of the Internet Governance Forum today. Further details are provided on the following sessions: "Securing Child Safety in the Age of Algorithms" and "Elevating Children's Voices in AI Design".

Although the rights of children to protection, provision and participation are all equally important and should not be prioritised over each other, sessions on the second day of the 2025 IGF put a strong focus on child protection.