Children and young people naturally move through the digital world as part of their everyday lives – but without sufficient protection. With the new initiative »Sicherheit von Anfang an« (»Safety from the Start«), we are working together with the Crespo Foundation to strengthen the rights of children and young people online. To this end, the two foundations will provide a total of €800,000 per year over the next five years.

The aim of the initiative is to enable young people to use digital spaces freely, creatively and independently. At the same time, they should be better protected from violence, disinformation, addictive mechanisms and other risks.
 

Children Need Effective Protection Online, Too

Although laws such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) are intended to protect minors in the digital world, they are often not adequately enforced. The consequences are serious: Around 20% of children and young people in Germany use digital media in ways that put them at risk. This includes online, social media, gambling and shopping addiction, as well as early exposure to disturbing or violent content.

»If we cannot do a better job of protecting 11-year-olds from violent videos, disturbing images or hate messages online, we are failing in our responsibility as a society to educate and protect them,« says Tim Göbel, CEO of the Schöpflin Foundation. »Children and young people must be able to navigate the internet freely and without fear.«

The new initiative therefore supports civil society organisations working to ensure that existing regulations are consistently enforced and further developed. This includes the European DSA, for example, which requires large online platforms to ensure a high level of safety and protection for minors.
 

Young People as Experts on Their Digital Lives

A particular focus of the initiative is on the participation of children and young people. Their perspectives and experiences should have a stronger role in political and public debates. »Especially on these important issues, we want to talk with young people, not about them, and actively include and ask about their experiences,« says Christiane Riedel, CEO of the Crespo Foundation. »Being able to navigate the digital world competently, creatively and safely is an essential part of children’s and young people’s rights. That is why we want to ›empower‹ them in particular to realise their own potential.«

Studies show that many young people want greater protection from addictive mechanisms and problematic content – while at the same time wanting to use and help shape digital spaces independently. The initiative therefore focuses on continuous collaboration with organisations working to involve young people in decision-making.

Studien zeigen, dass sich viele junge Menschen mehr Schutz vor suchtfördernden Mechanismen und problematischen Inhalten wünschen – gleichzeitig möchten sie digitale Räume selbstständig nutzen und mitgestalten. Die Initiative setzt deshalb auf eine kontinuierliche Zusammenarbeit mit Organisationen der Jugendbeteiligung.

Because children and young people are entitled to both: protection and participation in the digital world.