As part of the 15th Internet Governance Forum Germany, the project ‘Child protection and children's rights in the digital world’ held a workshop on the topic of children's rights in the metaverse on 11 September. Together with the participants, the aim was to identify the opportunities and risks associated with the metaverse for children and young people in order to determine which issues and topics are particularly pressing in this context and therefore need to be addressed.

In a brief introduction, the right to non-discrimination, the primary consideration of the best interests of the child, the right to life and development and the right to participation were discussed and awareness was raised of the fact that these fundamental principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child must also guide the development of the metaverse in order to enable young people to have experiences in line with their developing abilities and to realise their rights. In a dialogue, the participants reported on their own experiences or experiences in their community. Initial encounters in virtual spaces were described as very impressive but also very overwhelming. Among other things, this was due to the preliminary designs that characterise atmospheres that are difficult to escape. It was also argued that the possibility of using contacts, characteristics or skills across different services represents added value, but also leads to a further centralisation of personal data. The concern about a monopolisation of knowledge about users was mentioned critically in this context.

In conclusion, it was noted that AI-based applications and virtual reality are already having an impact on our everyday lives and will play an increasingly important role in the future with the spread of the metaverse. Experience has shown that young people are among the first users in this field (early adopters). A proactive digital policy must therefore create the conditions to enable everyone to utilise the associated opportunities without discrimination and to manage the risks. In order to realise the rights of young people in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the digital environment, existing regulatory approaches should be examined for their suitability for future technologies and new approaches developed where necessary. It is also important to promote competences for the responsible use of AI- based applications, virtual realities and the metaverse - including by minors.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its accessibility pose complex challenges for those working to combat sexual violence against children online. Reasons for this are the low barriers to using AI. It is possible for offenders to exploit these technologies alone or within offender communities to produce and disseminate depictions of child sexual abuse (CSAM) online. The NGO Protect Children from Finland, in cooperation with the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the University of Eastern Finland, published the results of the 2KNOW project today, which addresses this topic. The study provides information about the main motives that lead to sexual violence against children on the internet, informs about factors that enable this behavior and corresponding crimes and identifies barriers that can prevent a crime. The aim of the study is to develop a deeper understanding of the many factors behind these crimes in order to contribute to the fight against sexual violence against children and the spread of such images.

The findings were obtained from data collected quantitatively by means of an anonymous survey entitled “Help us to know”. The online survey was suggested to people searching for depictions of sexual abuse of children on the dark web. More than 4500 people took part.

In the research results, factors that promote and facilitate sexual offenses on the Internet are presented in a nuanced analysis. These include the central motives, which can be a sexual interest in children, a high sex drive or emotional selfregulation. Furthermore, factors such as trauma in childhood, sensation seeking or the consumption of drugs and pornography can facilitate such crimes. Situational factors facilitate these crimes through the availability and easy accessibility of technological tools and the associated perception of security and privacy in the digital environment. The importance and efficiency of barriers to offending is mentioned. Barriers include the implementation of behavior change interventions and messages of illegality while searching for images of sexual violence against children (CSAM).

These findings illustrate the complex interaction of motivations, facilitating influences, situational factors and barriers that contribute to sexual violence against children online and highlight the need for extensive prevention strategies. The full study can be found here.

In the INHOPE network, organisations around the world work together to prevent sexual abuse of children and young people in the digital environment and to support criminal prosecution. In order for this to be realised, it is particularly important to find out the extent to which sexual violence takes place online. In addition to the reporting procedures implemented as part of the existing collaborations, the ReportCSAM reporting portal was launched this summer. The website provides clear instructions on how to report illegal content quickly and easily. It also offers assistance in dealing with potential depictions of sexual abuse of children and young people. As this is a global reporting portal, there are links to international cooperations and partners as well as to the national law enforcement authorities. For Germany, relevant information and reports can be submitted via the respective hotline forms of jugendschutz.net, eco or the FSM.

Sexual violence online is a serious problem for users of digital services. According to the JIM Study 2023, almost one in four young people (23 per cent) in Germany between the ages of 12 and 19 have already come into contact with pornographic content in the digital environment unintentionally. 20 per cent of young people report sexual harassment on the internet. Girls (26 per cent) are affected twice as often as boys (13 per cent). International studies also show that children with such experiences are increasingly younger when they experience sexual violence online for the first time. This can take different forms and be perceived in different ways. In the global survey Estimates of childhood exposure to online sexual harassment and their risk factors, 34 per cent of 18 to 20-year-olds who were affected by sexual harassment or violence in their childhood reported being asked to do something explicitly sexual online as a minor that they did not want to do or that made them feel uncomfortable. Almost one in three (29 per cent) reported that explicit sexual images of them had been shared with others without their consent. Another 29 per cent stated that they had received explicit sexual depictions from an adult or someone they did not know. One in four respondents (25 per cent) confirmed that an adult they knew or someone they did not know had asked them to keep some of their sexually explicit online interactions private.

Against this background, the organisation BraveMovement has published a petition in the run-up to the first global ministerial conference on ending sexual violence against children, in which it calls for far-reaching measures in the areas of regulation, funding and support, the participation of those affected in measures to be taken and measures to raise awareness of the issue of sexual violence against children and young people. The petition can be signed by individuals here.