Protection of minors in media sees dramatic rise in complaints and checks

The media watchdogs of the federal states are having more and more to do with hate, hate speech and disinformation in online media. This can be seen in the current activity report of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) for the two years between March 2023 and February 2025. The body of the state media authorities has now published it for content monitoring in the area of transnational private broadcasting and on the internet. Compared to the period of the previous report (March 2021 to February 2023), the number of inquiries and complaints about possible youth media protection violations has tripled, while the number of cases investigated in the area of telemedia has increased almost sixfold. At the same time, the number of investigations in the broadcasting sector fell from 26 to six.

According to a study, children and young people spent an average of almost four hours a day online in 2024. According to the report, they are increasingly confronted with risks. In the reporting period, the KJM made final decisions on around 553 telemedia review cases. The decisions concerned content in which the inspectors usually found several violations of the provisions of the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV).

According to the statistics, most of the cases involved content in the area of political extremism with incitement to hatred (218 cases), extremely right-wing, discriminatory or Holocaust-denying content (125) as well as developmentally harmful content (35). According to the KJM, a large number of the latter had "socio-ethically disorientating content as their subject matter". Such content combated the basic order of the liberal constitutional state by offensively advocating against democratic processes or by disparaging democratic processes.

Pornhub and YouPorn remain blocked for the time being

According to the media watchdogs, the violations identified largely focused on statements in social networks, on video platforms, personal websites or blogs that incited hatred or otherwise discriminated against refugees or people with a migration background. As numerous posts also constituted a criminal offense, the responsible state media authorities had to hand over the respective administrative offense proceedings to the public prosecutor's office.

According to the supervisory authority, it is facing challenges "resulting from changes in media behavior". In particular, the KJM complains that the associated regulation of global digital corporations "often only reacts to pressure". Nevertheless, according to KJM Chairman Marc Jan Eumann, the media watchdogs have made it clear, for example in their action against porn portals, that those who endanger children and young people must expect consequences.

The regulators can celebrate a new legal success. The Berlin Administrative Court upheld the blockade of the two German-language adult entertainment sites Pornhub and YouPorn for the time being in its rulings from April 24 (case no.: VG 32 L 25/25 and VG 32 L 26/25). In April 2024, the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Authority ordered Pÿur, a provider based in the capital, to block access to the two portals from Germany. The platform operator Aylo filed lawsuits against these orders and submitted urgent applications. The court has now rejected these as inadmissible: Aylo had no legitimate interest in the non-enforcement of the blocking orders. This would not have been necessary if the content provider had behaved in accordance with the law. Instead, he continued to distribute pornography without restriction. This continued and persistent disregard of applicable law is "reprehensible". The providers concerned are also defending themselves against the orders.

(mma)