According to the results of the JIM study 2006, exchanging violent videos or porn films via mobile phones is not an unknown practice to many adolescents in Germany. One out of three young mobile phone owners has friends who have already had such films sent to their mobile. 7% have received such videos on their own mobiles. True to the motto “The tougher the scene, the tougher you are yourself”, mainly boys try to increase their standing among their friends by exchanging such videos.

The recording of violent scenes by adolescents, so-called “Happy Slapping”, is a major topic of public discussion in Germany. In the JIM study 2006, 17% of mobile phone owners between 12 and 19 years report that they have already witnessed a fight being filmed with a mobile phone.

Due to these developments, the Minister for youth affairs in Rhineland-Palatinate, Doris Ahnen (SPD), called together the Round Table “Protection of minors and prevention relating to the internet and mobile Phones” with some 30 experts from the areas of the protection of minors, media regulation, media education, teachers and parents’ boards, self-regulatory bodies, and the internet and mobile communication industries.

In 2007, members of the Round Table are meeting in working groups to discuss the demands formulated by the LMK (coordinator of klicksafe) and jugendschutz.net (hotline in Germany) and to decide on the further implementation of the proposed measures.

Miriam Brehm, klicksafe.de