News Overview

The popular messaging app WhatsApp has announced that users can now register usernames. Until now, accounts were always linked to a phone number, which was also visible to other contacts. A phone number will still be required to create a WhatsApp account. However, it will no longer be shared with other contacts if a username has been entered. We explain why this new feature provides greater security on the one hand but can lead to new problems on the other.

This year marks the 25th edition of the TOMMI Games Award. A jury of children will decide which games will receive an award. Anyone interested between the ages of eight and sixteen can apply now to serve on the jury. In addition, publishers of games, apps, and digital learning resources have until August 24 to submit their products to TOMMI.

Many of the world’s most widely used digital services—such as messaging apps, search engines, and streaming platforms—are provided by international companies based outside the European Union. For many people, these services are part of everyday life. Often, people don’t consciously look for alternatives when choosing these services. Yet there is also a wide range of options available in Europe for communication, email, navigation, and social networking. These can be of interest in terms of data protection, transparency, digital sovereignty, and the legal enforceability of user rights, among other things. We present a selection of European alternatives and highlight which services serve as practical alternatives to well-known applications.

The expert commission on “Protecting Children and Youth in the Digital World” published its recommendations today. These are intended to serve as the basis for future action by the federal government and other relevant stakeholders in the field of media protection for children and youth. The focus is on 56 recommendations designed to ensure the protection, participation, and empowerment of children and youth in the digital world. The perspectives of children and youth—such as those from the klicksafe Youth Panel—have also been incorporated into the recommendations.

With the new “Instants” feature, Instagram users can share spontaneous photos and videos directly with selected contacts. Similar to other apps that focus on quick and authentic glimpses into everyday life, this can also pose risks for children and teens. For example, there is a risk that they might reveal sensitive information or lose track of who can see their content. Parents should therefore understand how Instants works, what privacy settings are available, and what topics they should discuss with their child.

These days, photos and videos of children are quickly posted on WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. Parents and grandparents love to share these often cute and funny pictures and videos with others. However, it’s easy to lose sight of the potential negative consequences. In general, it’s okay to share family moments online. However, to keep children safe, there are a few things to keep in mind. In our new flyer for parents, we explain what those are. The flyer is part of the #KinderSindKeinContent campaign, which runs through June 21, 2026.

Pictures of children often appear harmless and adorable. But many adults underestimate this: As soon as such images are posted online, they can have long-term consequences. With the #KinderSindKeinContent social media theme week from June 15 to 21, the klicksafe and SCHAU HIN! initiatives are joining forces with many partners to set an example for more child protection online.

When images with sexual content appear on children's and young people's devices, this can pose difficult questions for parents and educational professionals. What legal requirements apply? And what can be done to document or preserve evidence? The answers depend largely on the age of the person depicted. Our article provides an overview of the most important legal principles and shows how you can support children and young people appropriately.

Shocking, gruesome and disgusting images and videos are easily disseminated on the internet. The phenomenon itself is not new. However, there are now more readily available distribution channels for these images. And the risk of being unintentionally confronted with these images has also changed and presumably increased thanks to social media platforms and messenger services. What do adults need to know about this topic and how can they help children and young people?

Many people use messenger services such as WhatsApp on a daily basis. But with RCS messages, there is a modern alternative directly on the smartphone. RCS messages are already automatically available on many devices and do not need to be installed. They add functions such as group chats, sending photos and videos, voice messages or read receipts to traditional text messages. This could be particularly exciting for parents. This is because RCS enables modern communication without children having to install additional messenger apps.

Social networks, games and streaming portals captivate young people - often to such an extent that hobbies, friendships and family pale into insignificance. Many parents in particular are concerned about their children's media consumption and feel that their daily screen time is too high. At what point does media use become too much and at what point is it an addiction? What can parents do to prevent this and when do they need to intervene? The new guidebook "Always on? Media addiction in children and young people" from klicksafe provides answers to these questions.

Sexualized violence and extremist hate content remain key problems online: For the second year in a row, jugendschutz.net dealt with more than 15,000 cases of abusive depictions of children. On Spotify and Discord, the office found numerous inciting texts and criminal extremist symbols. On TikTok and Co., jugendschutz.net documented drastic hate and violence fantasies against women and girls.

Whether through curious surfing on porn sites or unintentionally in class chats, most young people come into contact with pornography for the first time between the ages of 12 and 14. Understanding porn as part of young people's lives is therefore unavoidable. On the one hand, it is important to effectively protect children from content that is harmful to their development. On the other hand, we should not leave sexual education to porn, but rather enter into discussions with young people. Porn conveys stereotypes or unrealistic ideas about sexuality and body diversity. We spoke to expert Madita Oeming about pornography and sexualized violence online. She gives tips on how parents and educational professionals can support young people.

On the bus on the way home, hidden in the school toilet or just before dinner - a round of Brawl Stars can be played quickly and is part of many children's everyday digital lives. The mobile game was released in 2018 and is one of the most successful mobile games in the world with over 500 million downloads. Even primary school children often play the popular Brawlers in the playground. klicksafe summarizes the most important aspects, risks and tips about Brawl Stars.

The Data Protection Media Award (DAME) 2025 was presented at the BvD Association Days 2026 in Berlin. This is the ninth time that journalistic and creative contributions that communicate data protection topics in an innovative, understandable and media-effective way have been honored. In doing so, they make a contribution to the secure handling of personal data. The DAME Award was established by the Professional Association of Data Protection Officers in Germany (BvD). We present the winning entries.