News Overview 2023

Children and young people are confronted directly and without being asked with violence, pornography or racism via their smartphones. In the book "Wir verlieren unsere Kinder!" ("We're losing our children!"), school principal Silke Müller reports in detail on her experiences with this problem. Together with her and Birgit Kimmel, head of the EU initiative klicksafe, we ask in our podcast "Are we losing our children online?" and how can we react pedagogically to online dangers?

Many children and young people are enthusiastic about video games. So the idea of tapping into this fascination and using digital games in schools is an obvious one. But how can games be integrated into the classroom? We present creative approaches and methods.

At YoungData, young people can find information on data privacy and freedom of information. There are also tips for smart behavior on the Internet and reports on the digital future of our society.

The app Snapchat, which is popular with children and teenagers, is now a household name for most parents. But did you know that with My AI there is also an artificial intelligence in your child's friend list? We answer the most important questions for parents about the new chatbot on Snapchat.

Every activity on the Internet leaves traces. Personal data associated with this is stored by companies, evaluated and possibly used against us. Or even misused by criminals for criminal acts. Every year, the DAME Data Privacy Media Prize is awarded to media professionals who present the topic of data privacy in a clear and understandable way. The award ceremony took place yesterday evening in Berlin.

In her book "Wir verlieren unsere Kinder" (We are losing our children), principal Silke Müller draws the attention of educators and pedagogical experts to the problem of criminal content and content harmful to minors in class chats. This overview shows which materials klicksafe and Handysektor use to support teachers and students in dealing with class chats.

Since its release, students have discovered the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT as a practical helper in everyday school life. But how reliable is ChatGPT? And what should young people look out for when using it? In our new teaching material, we give a compact overview and present five teaching examples with which you can use chatbots such as ChatGPT in educational practice and thereby strengthen the critical information competence of young people.

For more than 30 years, "Digitale Spiele - Pädagogisch beurteilt" (Digital Games - Pedagogically Evaluated) has been offering pedagogical assistance in the evaluation of games to all interested parties. In the latest edition, there are pedagogical assessments of current games such as FIFA 23, Pokémon Crimson and Purple or LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. In total, around 80 games are reviewed. The special feature: The pedagogical assessments are developed together with young game testers.

Women who show themselves scantily clad in paddling pools and are sent money for it. What used to take place in the nighttime programs of TV stations is now available on streaming portals like Twitch. Influencers can also earn money with erotic and pornographic content via the portal OnlyFans. Are these offerings a danger for children and young people?

Ever heard of "thinspiration" or "bonespiration"? Under these hashtags, eating disorders and anorexia are glorified on the Internet. This is particularly dangerous for people who are already ill and feel confirmed in their negative self-image. In addition, however, there are also regular contact exchanges for networking. There you can find hunger groups in messengers, "buddies" and "twins" for starving together, or even self-appointed "coaches." We explain what this means and where sufferers and their relatives can find help.

False information on the Internet comes in many different forms. The technique of deepfakes is particularly fascinating. With the help of computer technology, people can be made to say things that they have never said. This technique is often used on the Internet for funny videos. But it can also cause a lot of damage. klicksafe explains how deepfakes work and how to track them down.

Social media services and digital game worlds not only connect us with friends, but also quickly bring us into contact with new people. Whether these people are who they say they are and what goals they may be pursuing is not always clear. Especially for minors, strange online contacts can become a risk. We explain what the possible contact risks are and how you can protect yourself online.

It's a horror scenario: One's own nude pictures appear on the Internet and are accessible to the public. Those affected feel exposed and face the problem of having their images deleted from online platforms as quickly as possible. A new tool from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children now offers help. Minors can add hash values to their intimate pictures and videos. These cannot then be uploaded to participating services such as Instagram and TikTok. klicksafe explains how "Take It Down" works.

Are you interested in the safety of children and young people on the Internet? Would you like to know how we can support adolescents in dealing competently with media? Or are you professionally active in the field of media education? Then subscribe to our klicksafe newsletter. In it you will find the latest information from the digital media world, tips on new klicksafe publications, interesting events and much more.

Not least since the publication of the text program ChatGPT, the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) has fascinated many users. Since then, one increasingly stumbles over technical terms such as algorithms, machine learning or neural networks. What these terms mean exactly and how AI actually works is not entirely clear to many of us. And that can also fuel fears and concerns about the new technology. That's why the Center for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (ZVKI) has published a quiz that allows you to test and expand your knowledge on the topic of AI.