Safer Internet Day 2026: Over 50,000 young people discuss how to deal with AI companions
Ludwigshafen, 02/06/2026 | Under the motto "AI and me. In an artificial relationship." Safer Internet Day 2026 focuses on the growing influence of artificial intelligence and artificial companions on the everyday lives, communication and relationships of young people. Together, the partners of the Safer Internet DE network are implementing Safer Internet Day with a wide range of activities. They not only reach thousands of pupils, but also educational professionals and parents. In addition to the klicksafe awareness center, the association also includes the complaints offices of eco, FSM and jugendschutz.net as well as the counseling services of Nummer gegen Kummer e.V.
Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: "For many of us, AI is a helpful companion in everyday life: it explains complicated issues, helps with learning and even gives tips against heartache. It seems to have an answer to everything in seconds. But this apparent 'understanding' remains a digital illusion. A machine does not empathize, does not listen between the lines and does not hold anyone's hand. Young people in particular are increasingly using AI as a kind of therapist - but it is coming up against clear limits. Real relationships are formed through interaction with other people. Social cohesion grows from real conversations and encounters, not from algorithms. That's why it's so important that the klicksafe initiative reminds us as a society of our responsibility towards children and young people."
"With this year's motto 'AI and me.', Safer Internet Day is drawing attention to a highly topical and relevant issue. The question of how AI influences the lives of young people is one of the most important issues of our time. We therefore need to address the everyday AI companions. This also includes asking ethical questions in order to be able to decide how we want to live," said Alexander Schweitzer, Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate and Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of the Federal States. "Parents today are faced with the challenge of accompanying their children in a world increasingly characterized by artificial closeness. At the same time, we want to empower young people to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital technologies and to recognize the risks. The diverse campaigns and events of Safer Internet Day show how committed people throughout Germany are to a safe and responsible online environment," continued the Minister President.
This year, the klicksafe school lesson, which will be streamed live in classrooms across Germany on Safer Internet Day and will deal with the influence of AI chatbots on the everyday lives of young people, is once again a key offering of the EU initiative klicksafe. More than 50,000 pupils across Germany will reflect on how AI bots work as digital conversation partners or advisors, where their limits lie and why they cannot replace human relationships.
"The high demand for the klicksafe school lesson illustrates the great need for age-appropriate, media-pedagogically prepared educational offers," says Deborah Woldemichael, Head of the EU initiative klicksafe at the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority. "Young people need opportunities and spaces to critically scrutinize digital developments and develop their own point of view."
All SID campaigns with a nationwide interactive event map, materials and further information can be found at www.klicksafe.de/sid.
Further offers from klicksafe and campaigns from the Safer Internet DE association for #SID26
- klicksafe school lesson on February 10 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the topic "AI and me."
- Videos: Three AI-generated short clips on the topic of "AI and me."
- Educational material "AI and me. How artificial intelligence is shaping our lives."
- Parents' guide "My child and AI. Growing up with artificial closeness."
- Info cards on relationship offers from AI bots on the topics of friendship, comfort, love.
- Webinar on 12.02.2026, from 14:00 to 15:00, by klicksafe and FSM to present the new educational material "KI and me. How artificial intelligence shapes our lives".
- Webinar of the German Safer Internet Center on 25.02.2026, from 14:00 to 15:30, on the topic "Smart helpers or false friends? Chatbots as an opportunity and risk for children and young people".
- Logos, sharepics and materials for the campaign "KI and me. In an artificial relationship."
All materials and further information on SID 2026 and the campaign "AI and me. In an artificial relationship." can be found on the landing page www.klicksafe.de/sid or in the press kit. Safer Internet Day will be followed on social media under #SID26, #SaferInternetDay and #KIandMe.
Press contact:
Susanne Wohmann
Press officer klicksafe
Mobile: +49 152 22577620
E-mail: wohmann@medienanstalt-rlp.de
www.klicksafe.de/presse
About Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day is a global day of action for more online safety and a better internet for children and young people. It has been held on the Tuesday of the second week in February since 2004 and focuses on a new topic every year as part of the international motto "Together for a better internet". In Germany, Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the EU initiative klicksafe.
About the Safer Internet DE network
The European Union's Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) supports Safer Internet Centres in 27 European countries with the aim of promoting media literacy among children, parents and teachers, raising awareness of possible risks on the Internet and offering children and young people advice on online problems. Complaints offices for illegal online content are also made available. In Germany, the Safer Internet Centre is implemented by the Safer Internet DE association. In addition to the complaints offices of eco, FSM and jugendschutz.net, this includes the klicksafe awareness center and the counseling services of Nummer gegen Kummer e.V..
klicksafe is the German Awareness Centre in the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) of the European Union and is implemented by the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority and in cooperation with the Federal Agency for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Media (BzKJ). klicksafe supports the confident and critical use of digital media with a wide range of offers. Educational professionals, parents and interested users can find up-to-date information and materials at klicksafe.de.
klicksafe is politically and economically independent and a coordinating member of the "Safer Internet DE" association (saferinternet.de). In addition to klicksafe as an awareness center, the hotlines internet-beschwerdestelle.de (of eco and FSM) and jugendschutz.net as well as the helpline Nummer gegen Kummer are members of this association.
The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter (FSM e.V.) is a self-regulatory body for the telemedia sector recognized by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM). It supervises and advises a large number of companies in the telecommunications and online sector. Since 1997, the association has been committed to ensuring that children and young people can grow up with a safer and better Internet - in particular by combating illegal content in online media that is harmful to minors and detrimental to their development. To this end, the FSM operates a complaints office that anyone can contact to report online content. The FSM Complaints Office is co-financed by the European Union under the umbrella of Saferinternet.de. The FSM's other tasks also include extensive educational work and the promotion of media literacy among children, young people and adults.
Contact: FSM e.V., www.fsm.de, Jonas Weissberg, Beuthstraße 6, 10117 Berlin; Tel.: (030) 24 04 84 - 43, weissberg☞ Please insert an @ here ☜fsm☞ Please insert a dot here ☜de
With around 1,000 member companies, eco(www.eco.de) is the leading association of the Internet industry in Europe. Since 1995, eco has played a key role in shaping the Internet, promoting new technologies, creating framework conditions and representing the interests of its members in politics and on international committees. The protection of minors has been an important issue for eco since
an important topic since 1996. At that time, the Internet Content Task Force (ICTF) was founded with the aim of preventing the distribution of illegal content and content harmful to minors on the Internet. This developed into the eco Complaints Office, which has now been operated by eco for around 30 years. Since 2004, the Complaints Office has also been accessible via the internet-beschwerdestelle.de web portal operated jointly with the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter (FSM).
Contact: eco - Association of the Internet Industry, Capital City Office, Französische Straße 48, 10117 Berlin, Tel. 030 / 20 21 567 - 0, E-Mail: christin.mueller☞ Please insert an @ here ☜eco☞ Please insert a dot here ☜de, Web: www.beschwerdestelle.eco.de
As a helpline in the Safer Internet DE network, the "Nummer gegen Kummer" counseling services offer support for children and young people as well as parents and other guardians for all questions and (online) concerns. Anonymous, confidential and free of charge. Children's and young people's hotline on tel. 116111 (Mon - Sat from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturdays "Young people advise young people"). Online counseling for children and young people in the password-protected online portal at www.nummergegenkummer.de (live chat Mon to Thu 2-8 p.m., email counseling available around the clock). Parents' hotline on 0800 - 111 0 550 (Mon - Fri from 9 am - 5 pm and Tue & Thu until 7 pm). Helpline Ukraine for Ukrainian children, young people and parents on 0800 - 500 225 0 (Mon - Fri from 2 pm to 5 pm).
Contact: Nummer gegen Kummer e.V., www.nummergegenkummer.de,presse☞ Please insert an @ here ☜nummergegenkummer☞ Please insert a dot here ☜de, Tel.: +49 (0) 202 259 059 - 0
jugendschutz.net acts as the joint competence center of the federal government, the federal states and the state media authorities for the protection of children and young people on the Internet. The center researches dangers and risks in youth-oriented services. It works to ensure that violations of youth protection regulations are eliminated and that services are designed in such a way that children and young people can use them without worry. The youth ministries of the federal states founded jugendschutz.net in 1997. Its tasks were laid down in the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV) in 2003. Since then, the agency has been linked to the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM). In 2021, the federal government also assigned a statutory task to jugendschutz.net as a joint competence center in the German Youth Protection Act (JuSchG). jugendschutz.net is funded by the supreme state youth authorities, the state media authorities and the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as well as the European Union.
jugendschutz.net accepts reports on violations of youth media protection via its online complaints office . Contact: presse☞ Please insert an @ here ☜jugendschutz☞ Please insert a dot here ☜net