New video series on cybergroomingklicksafe expert talk with cybercriminologist Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger

More and more children and young people are affected by cybergrooming, the initiation of sexual contact from strangers, on the Internet. This is the result of the second survey on cybergrooming conducted by the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesanstalt für Medien NRW). In the new klicksafe Expert*innen-Talk, cybercriminologist Prof. Dr. Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger answers the most important questions from a legal-criminological perspective. The first two videos of the expert talk are now available.

klicksafe expert talk with cybercriminologist Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger

Cybergrooming has increased compared to 2021. This is the result of the second representative survey by the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. More than 2,000 children and young people aged 8 to 17 living in Germany were surveyed. The focus was specifically on whether the respondents had already come into contact online with adults who had sexually harassed and abused them or wanted to do so. Almost a quarter of the children and young people surveyed (24%) had already been asked out by adults. There is a significant increase in the younger age group(8-9 years: 20% in 2022 to 9% in 2021, 10-12 years: 23% in 2022 to 14% in 2021). 20% were asked to send a nude photo in exchange for a quid pro quo. 10% of 8-9 year olds and 15% of 10-12 year olds have already been sent unsolicited nude photos.

According to the survey, both boys and girls are equally affected by cybergrooming. And cybergrooming also occurs across all school types. The complete survey is available as a PDF download.

Cybercriminologist Prof. Dr. Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger in the klicksafe Expert*innen-Talk on Cybergrooming

What is cybergrooming? On which online platforms does cybergrooming occur? Who are the perpetrators and how do they act? Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger is head of the Institute for Cybercriminology at the Brandenburg Police University. He completed his doctorate in law at the University of Potsdam on the topic of "The online-based initiation of the sexual abuse of a child - a criminological and legal examination of the phenomenon of cybergrooming".

In the new klicksafe Expert*innen-Talk, he answers important questions about the topic of cybergrooming from a legal-criminological perspective in several videos. The first two videos are available now. Here, the cybercriminologist answers the questions:

What is cybergrooming? | klicksafe Expert Talk: Cybergrooming
Where does cybergrooming happen online? | klicksafe Expert Talk: Cybergrooming

Next week, Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger will answer the question of how often cybergrooming occurs online.