News Overview 2026

More and more young people are using social media to find out about political issues. Unfortunately, they also find right-wing extremist content there time and again. Right-wing extremists are also active on gaming platforms such as Steam or Discord. They specifically target children and young people and try to influence them. With our new material in plain language, we give parents tips on how they can protect their children. In addition, all other klicksafe content in plain language is now easier to find in our material system.

The Easter holidays are just around the corner. Many families use the free time for outings and media time together. Many young children also come into contact with screen media in the family circle. It is important to take a closer look at what content young children are consuming on tablets and the like. YouTube in particular is not suitable for children. What should parents look out for when young children or even babies are consuming video content? What alternatives are there to YouTube? We provide information about the risks and important tips.

What happens when AI systems are increasingly used as advisors, take on social roles or even replace human relationships? Our three new short videos show deliberately exaggerated scenarios about relationships with AI companions that are suitable for raising awareness and starting discussions. The AI-generated video clips are part of our campaign "AI and me. In an artificial relationship". In line with the topic, we offer materials to educate educational professionals, parents and young people.

The case of Collien Fernandes is currently on everyone's lips. The actress and presenter has made it public that she has been the victim of digital sexual violence. Since then, there has been much debate in Germany about the extent of the problem and whether the current laws are sufficient to tackle it. In our article, we provide basic information on the phenomenon of image-based sexual violence and point out options for action for those affected.

More and more young people are turning to influencers to find out about current affairs. But what is really important and who decides? The browser-based media literacy game "Newsmakers" from planet schule is about how journalists select news. The free educational game and teaching materials are suitable for pupils from Year 8 upwards. A smartphone, tablet or PC is required. The game can be played without installing an app.

A recent survey commissioned by WDR shows that the majority of pupils in Germany use class chats. Information about school is usually exchanged in these messenger groups. Unfortunately, it happens again and again that students send inappropriate or even criminal content there. The students surveyed also reported bullying and exclusion. We summarize the findings that can be derived from the survey results. And we provide schools with materials that can be used to minimize negative experiences in class chat.

ChatGPT is one of the most widely used chatbot applications. Children and young people also regularly use the chatbot from OpenAI. According to the latest JIM study, it is the undisputed leader to date: 84% of the young people surveyed between the ages of 12 and 19 already use the AI chat program regularly. OpenAI recently announced that there will now be options for parental controls in ChatGPT. We have taken a closer look at the new safety feature and explain what setting options parents now have.

Disturbing images and videos of devastation, suffering and violence regularly dominate the news. The recurring war in the Middle East or the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine can be very distressing for children and young people. Such content can frighten and overwhelm young people. They therefore need support in dealing with war reporting.

Informed citizens are essential for a vibrant democracy. It is therefore important that the population is able to distinguish between false and true information. Libraries are one of the places where this knowledge can be imparted. As open and low-threshold places of learning, they play a central role in educating the population. The handout "Democracy needs media education! Libraries as (learning) places for dealing with disinformation" from the Bertelsmann Stiftung offers practical support in this area.

TikTok is used by young people because they can find entertainment, information and connections there. However, a new report by jugendschutz.net shows how easily they can fall into extreme or populist echo chambers. Part of the problem is TikTok's suggestion algorithm, which shows users more and more content of the same type - including extremism, disinformation and conspiracy theories. An entire network of content creators is taking advantage of these platform dynamics, as the report shows. This also has an impact on young TikTok users. Motivated by increasing reach and positive feedback from extremist communities, they are increasingly posting radical content on TikTok themselves.

WhatsApp is introducing worldwide advertising in the so-called Updates tab. This is the area in which status messages and channels are displayed. The roll-out will be gradual. This means that the new function will not be visible to all users at the same time. An exact schedule for individual countries or accounts has not yet been published.

The 35th edition of "Digitale Spiele - Pädagogisch beurteilt" provides parents with information on current video games for children and young people. The special feature is that young gamers from Spieleratgeber NRW have their say and present the results of their game tests. In addition to the official age rating from the USK, each game also comes with an educational recommendation as to which target group the game is suitable for. The current issue is already available for download and will soon be available to order via the website of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

As an in-depth offer for our latest teaching material "AI and me. How artificial intelligence is shaping our lives." we have published three expert interviews. In them, we discuss the aspects of "AI and school", "AI and data protection" and "AI and sustainability" with experts from the respective fields. In this article, you can read the first two questions from each interview. If we have piqued your interest, please click on the link below and download the full interviews as free PDFs.

YouTube has been one of the most popular video platforms among children and young people for many years. In addition to the classic video formats, YouTube introduced YouTube Shorts a few years ago. These are short videos in portrait format that are perfectly adapted to the smartphone screen. In recent years, however, it has become clear that this type of short content encourages excessive media consumption among many users. A new safety setting allows parents to set how long their child can watch YouTube shorts each day.

On the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2026 on February 10, the EU Commission presented an action plan against cyberbullying. The aim is to take sustainable and effective measures against this persistent problem. According to a survey, one in six people aged 11 to 15 across the EU have been cyberbullied. One in eight people have themselves bullied others online. We present the measures envisaged in the action plan against cyberbullying.