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Fifth Report of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) on Youth Protection in Broadcasting and Tele-Media

by Josephine Reußner, SDC
Published on: 18.06.13
Source: Pressemitteilung des KJM

During the last two years there have been major improvements in the protection of minors in the media. This is evident from the fifth report of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM). Among the most important conclusions are:

• The recognition of youth protection softwares
  Because the protection softwares of JusProg and Deutsche Telekom have been approved, a voluntary labelling system for tele-media and internet content could be introduced. KJM has developed ways in which youth protection softwares can be extended to include mobile platforms. The commission also devised strategies for promoting a dissemination of such softwares.

• Requirements of a more contemporary protection of minors in the media
  KJM seeks to introduce a distinction between two age brackets (14 to 18 years and 18 years or older) instead of five age brackets in the voluntary, self-regulatory age ratings of tele-media contents. The originally intended five bracket solution was based on the age brackets in the voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (FSK). Furthermore, the voluntary age ratings are to be devised in a way which gives the providers of content legal security.

• International standards are more important than ever
  A contemporary protection of minors must draw lessons from the recent development of the internet. The number of the users of social media grows steadily. At the same time there is an increasing concentration on few global players like Google, Facebook and Amazon. Because of the growing number of web-enabled mobile devices the mobile distribution of harmful content also increases. A concentration on the products of the few big companies, voluntary commitments of these companies and internationally valid standards in the age-related classification of contents are therefore central objectives of youth protection in the media.

• Growing number of violations in private broadcasting
  During the last two years KJM handled about 150 suspected cases of violation against youth protection laws. In more than 90 of those cases an infringement of the Interstate Treaty of the Protection of Minors in the Media was confirmed. Among the confirmed cases were mostly scripted reality formats, followed by commercials, feature films and series.