(de-news.net) – Kerstin Claus, the Federal Government’s Commissioner for the Issue of Abuse, has once again advocated for the establishment of stringent age-related access controls governing use of the internet and social media platforms. She has characterized such regulatory measures as essential structural elements in a comprehensive framework for safeguarding children and adolescents in digital contexts. Her position is grounded in the assertion that young individuals must be afforded developmental environments within the digital sphere that approximate conditions of safety and security. Consequently, the imposition of graduated age restrictions is considered an indispensable regulatory mechanism.
The suggested measures, she contends, operate bidirectionally: on the one hand, they serve to insulate minors from content that, due to the lack of adequate filtration on contemporary platforms, is increasingly accessible and potentially deleterious. On the other, they facilitate a delineation of digital content that allows adults to disengage from offerings tailored to younger users. Claus also pointed to prior instances in which individuals engaged in abuse exploited interactive features to initiate contact with minors – particularly chat functions within online games. She maintains that the persistence of such practices is untenable.
While acknowledging the potential utility of technical interventions, Claus has underscored their insufficiency in isolation. She has emphasized the critical role of parental oversight, suggesting that caregivers must maintain vigilant engagement with their children’s online activities. In her estimation, a significant proportion of parents remain unaware of their children’s digital environments and the risks therein. She has noted, in particular, the increasing feasibility of online interaction with children as young as four or five years old, and has highlighted the occurrence of cyber-grooming in these contexts – a phenomenon she defines as attempts by adults to initiate sexual communication with minors via the internet.
Her statements have gained renewed relevance in light of a recent criminal investigation in Hamburg, wherein a 20-year-old male suspect has been detained by local authorities. The charges brought against the individual include murder, attempted murder, and the sexual abuse of children.
