Topic: 2025 – Protecting and Empowering Youth in Digital Spaces
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Madelyn Woller
Human Rights Committee
Protecting and Empowering Youth in Digital Spaces
Germany
Madelyn Woller
Forest Hills Eastern High School
We live in a world where the internet is a large part of each person’s life, whether they like it or not. Slowly, it has become the main form of communication as well as connection. The youth of the world had been hit incredibly hard by this issue, mainly because they have grown up in a world where they don’t know there was once a different way of life. The issues of screen addiction, virtual abuse, and exposure to violent content are seen as normal in the eyes of children. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are becoming increasingly harmful as children can be exposed to misinformation, violence, and sexual content; the continuous vulnerability to these topics can then cause children to integrate them into their daily life or conversations where it’s not appropriate. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has previously made an effort to bring to light the issues faced by many people with unrestricted access to the internet. It is imperative that conversations like this continue to happen among the United Nations in order to prevent further damage to the livelihood of innocent youth.
Germany plays a vital role in the safety and security of those who have access to the internet. Although there is a significant amount of online hatred towards minorities and political parties, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is an incredibly proactive group that promotes internet safety by making advancements in the secure use of technology since 1991. It is not only important to keep personal information private, but also to censor what young kids are exposed to online. The National Library of Medicine reported that 40% of kids aged 8-12 use social media on a daily basis, despite the minimum age being 13 for most social media apps. Germany has enacted a strict Network Enforcement Act that facilitates the removal of clearly illegal content within 24 hours, and other illegal content within 7 days. They have also influenced several other European countries to impose Digital Services Acts (DSA), which prosecute hate speech that has been posted online. It is important to protect kids online as well, because social media and the internet can be used for good, and Germany tries to focus on using the good and limiting the bad parts of the media. A new European strategy has been developed in Germany called Better Internet for Kids (BIK+). This strategy focuses on empowering kids online by helping them develop skills to make better-informed choices online. In the spring of 2021, around 70 consultation sessions were held where children and parents could voice their opinions on online safety. Both kids and parents feel that they are more informed about online risks and how to handle them. This is beneficial to raising a more aware generation that can think for themselves.
Germany is aware that internet abuse is becoming an ever-growing issue that needs to be solved. It is recommended that there be significantly stricter age restrictions put on social media platforms worldwide. Germany also urges the United Nations to consider developing more secure technology that limits the leaking of personal information of minors as well as adults. It would be a group effort to research the kinds of technology to make this work. Along with other countries that are willing and able, Germany would be able to assist in the financing of this research in order to promote a safer learning environment for youth around the world.
