Bavaria takes online abuse prevention into schools

Bavaria is sending prosecutors into schools to warn pupils about online abuse and offences, as reported cases rise and minors account for about half of suspects in some categories. BR reported on a prevention session at an Ottobrunn secondary school.

Munich senior public prosecutor Martina Mayer spoke to an eighth-grade class about the risks children and teenagers can encounter online. She warned that images or videos depicting child or youth pornography can amount to criminal possession if someone receives them, keeps them on a phone and does not delete them, even if they did not ask for them.

Figures from Germany’s Federal Interior Ministry and Federal Criminal Police Office show that the distribution of youth pornography reached a record 11,515 cases in 2025, up nearly 20 percent. Authorities attributed part of the increase to images being shared among teenagers and said minors made up about half of suspects.

Mayer also urged pupils to be cautious about contact with strangers online and to trust their instincts. In cyber grooming, perpetrators often pose as people of the same age to sexually harass or abuse children and teenagers. The Federal Criminal Police Office recorded nearly 4,900 so-called hands-off offences in 2025, involving the influence of children without physical contact, a 16.5 percent increase on the previous year.

Insults in class chats can also be criminal, Mayer said, and liking an insulting message may be treated as agreement with its content and could lead to proceedings for insult. The visit was part of the campaign “Do not turn your phone into a weapon”, launched by Bavaria’s justice and education ministries.

Pupils at the school said their class chat was used to share homework, not harmful content. After the hour-and-a-half session, many said they felt better prepared to deal with online risks.