In 2021, 3,539 cases were recorded in which perpetrators influenced children via the Internet in order to prepare for sexual abuse. Current studies show that girls are more likely to be affected. Parents should know this to protect their children from online harassment.

Boys and girls can be approached by adults on social networks, in chat forums or during online games. The perpetrators initially use harmless contact options in order to, in the worst case, persuade children to commit real sexual abuse . They often send naked pictures to children and ask them to forward their own pictures. Girls in particular report in surveys that adults have sent them nude pictures over the Internet. In a recent study by the North Rhine-Westphalia Media Authority, over 18 percent of the students surveyed reported such an incident. For boys it was almost 12 percent.

A quarter of the students were approached online

The dark field in the area of ​​cybergrooming is considered to be particularly large. According to the NRW study, 24 percent of all boys and girls surveyed have already met an adult over the Internet who wanted to meet them in real life. That's why parents and those responsible for raising children should inform children and young people about this danger and give them tips for emergencies.

Adults can protect children from online harassment

  • Accompany children: Offer age-appropriate help when using the Internet. Agree on safety rules. Learn how children might recognize cybergrooming.
  • Discuss difficulties : Hostility, harassment or criminal content can stress and overwhelm children and young people. Talk about problems in the digital world.
  • Report abnormalities and violations: Secure evidence of criminal content and content that is harmful to minors on the Internet. Report this to the site operator or the reporting offices jugendschutz.net or www.internet-beschwerdestelle.de . Report sexual harassment online to the police.

Source: Police – Advice

Also read:
Facebook suspends chat scans for child abuse


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