Germany records high numbers of online child abuse cases

In a touching image, posted by influencers on the social media platform Instagram, a baby lies on its stomach, sleeping, arms and legs stretched out, relaxed. Parents publicly share photos like these along with emotional and intimate moments of their children, garnering significant attention, likes and followers. But are such photos actually good for the child?

Freely accessible images of children are copied, edited and manipulated; placed in different contexts; and used for bullying purposes. Often, sexualized comments are added. Such comments even appeared in the case of the sleeping baby, as documented in the latest annual report by Jugendschutz.net , a government-funded organization in Germany dedicated to protecting children and adolescents online.

The report shows that young people are still inadequately protected. Jugenschutz.net recorded more than 15,000 instances of sexualization, hate and violence in 2025. "That's just the tip of the iceberg," said Stefan Glaser, head of Jugendschutz.net, which was established by the federal government and the states.

The agency receives reports of violations of youth protection regulations, and also conducts its own investigations online. Platform providers such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord and WhatsApp are confronted with the findings, and law enforcement agencies are also notified.

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Child pornography, violent fantasies

According to Glaser, 93% of all cases recorded in 2025 involved sexual violence against children. Four percent of all violations were related to political extremism. In addition, there were extreme expressions of hatred and violent fantasies directed at women and girls.

One problem that has been underestimated until now is the music streaming service Spotify, which is increasingly drawing attention as a platform for far-right music, sexualized violence against minors and playlists containing self-harm or suicidal messages.

Many risks are exacerbated by artificial intelligence (AI), the use of which has become significantly more widespread. "Manipulated images serve as a means of spreading extremist narratives or of derogatory statements. The artificial merges with the real and distorts our perception of reality," said Glaser.

Bots are becoming ever more popular, interacting with users via generative AI and increasingly resembling real companions. These bots are customizable to adopt fictional personalities, some of which are based on real-life models. They offer advice, provide coaching or simulate relationships.

Research by Jugendschutz.net reveals a particularly problematic aspect: "Chatbots are taking on a life of their own, describing sexual acts with minors and being set up as underage characters who act in a sexualized manner," explained Glaser.

Platforms only act when pressured

Among other things, this is due to flawed filters and inadequate security settings. Age restrictions that are easy to circumvent significantly increase the risk to children and adolescents.

This is also evident on Snapchat, where videos of very young children continue to be shared despite age restrictions — even though users are officially only allowed to post and comment starting at age 16. However, there is no effective age verification, and the reporting options offer little protection for minors.

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The annual report also revealed that when regular users report violations of youth protection laws, providers take action in only 2% of those cases. When official bodies such as Jugenschutz.net intervene, however, providers almost always take action.

At the presentation of the annual report this week, Youth Minister Karin Prien of the center-right Christian Democratic Union spoke of the "alarming reality" that children and adolescents are largely left defenseless.

"We are still far from enabling children and young people to participate safely and carefree in the digital world," said Prien. What we need are "safety, protection, and clear rules" that must "keep pace with technological developments."

European legislation supersedes national laws

But that is precisely where the problem lies. The Digital Services Act (DSA), in effect in the European Union since 2024, requires platform providers to ensure a "high level of safety and privacy" for minors. Under the law, providers must actively analyze risks and design their services to be safe for children. This includes, for example, that young people's profiles are always set to private.

Algorithms that recommend additional content are to be adjusted appropriately to filter out content that reinforces addiction, and to restrict features such as autoplay or push notifications. Prien pointed out that one in four children now exhibits risky or addiction-like social media use. At the EU level, the Digital Fairness Act is currently in the works, intended to specifically target "addictive and harmful design practices" and limit the use of AI in social media.

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Age verification is a key issue. Technical solutions that cannot be easily circumvented have yet to be developed. In Australia, where an age restriction for social media has been in effect since December 2025, the effect has so far been modest. Initial studies indicate that more than half of all those under the age of 16 are still active on the platforms.

Providers don't want to give up the lucrative business — polarization and emotionally charged content generate a particularly high level of attention. Prien said that virtually every regulation is being challenged in court, and it takes years for these cases to be decided.

"Anyone who wants to protect children must be prepared to grapple with the power structures in the digital world and, if necessary, take them on," she said, adding that we needed to reach a point where the state is no longer playing catch-up with technological developments.

This article was originally written in German.