Better Internet for Kids

klicksafe aims to promote people's online competence and to support them with a wide range of services to help them use the internet competently and critically. On the website, users can find a wealth of up-to-date information, practical tips, and teaching materials on digital services and related topics. The target groups are teachers, educators, parents, children, young people and multipliers.

The key platform, www.klicksafe.de, offers access to the entire portfolio of materials. klicksafe materials have been established to promote media literacy. To date, klicksafe has sent more than 13 million klicksafe print materials to organisations and individuals throughout Germany.

In 2005, a successful campaign was launched and raised awareness of the issue of internet safety with the commercial ‘Where is Klaus’. The award-winning advert was translated into several languages and broadcast throughout Europe. In 2025, klicksafe celebrated 25 years of Klaus with a re-publication of the clip and short videos of young people commenting on the different aspects of the original video.

Contacts and opening hours:

• The awareness centre can be contacted from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00 by telephone (+496215202271), via the contact form on the klicksafe website, and by email. It is also possible to contact the awareness centre via its social media channels (direct messages) and WhatsApp.

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. (NgK) is the umbrella organisation of Germany’s largest toll-free and anonymous counselling service for children, adolescents, parents and other caregivers. It has more than 45 years of experience as a general helpline.

The helpline is open to all topics, including online safety issues, and offers a safe place to talk, seek advice, find comfort, or simply have someone listen. NgK's trained volunteer counsellors support individuals in finding their own solutions (by helping them to help themselves). If needed, counsellors can provide information about specialised or professional help and recommend relevant (online) sources of information enabling young people or parents to educate themselves further.

Contacts:

• Young people can call the Child Helpline at 116111 (peer-to-peer counselling on Saturdays) or contact the online counselling services (chat, email) via the website.
• The parents’ Helpline can be reached by calling 0800 111 0 550.

Opening hours:

• Child Helpline: Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 20:00.
• Parents’ Helpline: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with additional hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 19:00.

Online counselling: 

• Chat: Monday to Thursday from 14:00 to 20:00.
• Mail: 24/7.

The German Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has two national alert platforms for reporting of illegal content on the internet, particularly in respect of child pornography, racism and xenophobia: IBSDE, operated by the hotlines of eco and FSM as independent partners, and jugendschutz.net.

As a consortium set up by the partners eco and FSM, IBSDE is ‘industry-driven' and has a self-regulatory approach. eco is the Internet Service Providers Association in Germany and represents organisations of the internet industry, as well as all enterprises that make commercial use of the internet. FSM is the German non-profit association for voluntary self-regulation in online and mobile media and was founded by numerous media associations and media enterprises. Its members are media and telecommunications organisations, as well as companies that offer their products and services online.

jugendschutz.net serves as the joint competence centre of the federal government, the states and state media authorities for the protection of children and young people on the internet. jugendschutz.net looks closely at dangers and risks in internet services, specifically popular among young people. The centre works to ensure that violations of youth protection laws are removed and urges providers and operators to design their content in a way that allows children and young people to use the internet free of trouble. The German youth ministries founded jugendschutz.net in 1997. The tasks were laid down in the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors (JMStV) in 2003. Since then, jugendschutz.net has been organizationally linked to the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM). In 2021, the Federal Government also assigned jugendschutz.net a statutory mandate in the Protection of Young Persons Act (JuSchG).

The work of jugendschutz.net is funded by the Supreme Youth Protection Authorities of the federal states, the state media authorities, the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the European Union. jugendschutz.net operates a hotline that accepts reports of violations of youth media protection laws.

The hotline partners are collaborating closely, for example, through regular meetings, exchange of expertise and participation in joint projects.

Opening hours:

• Online content can be reported to the hotlines at any time via the online report forms. Reports are processed from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

The klicksafe Youth Panel is the youth advisory board of the nationwide media literacy initiative klicksafe and has been active since 2009. It consists of committed young people aged 13 to 18 from all over Germany.

The Youth Panel is committed to making the internet a better and safer place for children and young people. Each person on the Youth Panel brings different experiences, ideas and strengths - which is exactly what makes the Youth Panel so diverse and valuable. Anyone who wants to get involved in online topics is welcome to join the Youth Panel!

In the klicksafe Youth Panel, we regularly discuss current topics, trends and online risks and work together on projects to help young people stay safer online. We are involved in various events in Germany and at the European level, in online campaigns, in the development of klicksafe materials, and in campaigns relating to online safety. By participating in workshops, we also have the opportunity to bring ourselves up to date on exciting, current online topics.

Youth Panel members and klicksafe media educators work together to ensure that young people are not only talked about, but above all with young people and that their concerns are heard. 

See the klicksafe Youth Panel website for further information: https://www.klicksafe.eu/en/youthpanel.

The Youth Panel is a place for community, exchange and, of course, fun. It is important to us to be an open and diverse community that stands up for something important - namely a better and safer internet for kids and young people!

What do we do?

• We regularly discuss current topics, trends and online risks in the klicksafe Youth Panel and work together on projects.
• We know what is currently going on on social media and the like, and make important topics or dangerous trends visible. For example, are there challenges that could be dangerous or online trends that are good for young people right now?
• We take part in annual events and engage in nationwide exchange (e.g. at the Federal Youth Media Conference in Rostock or the Safer Internet Forum).
• We launch online activities or campaigns and create materials - from the idea to implementation.
• We take part in workshops where we receive further training on current online topics.

Would you like to join us? Perfect! It doesn't take much:

• Are you between 13 and 18 years old and want to have a say in what moves young people online? Then you've come to the right place!
• Whether you are simply curious and want to share your own experiences or you are already a media scout/media mentor, every voice counts with us!
• School, hobbies, stress - how much time and energy you have can, of course, change. You decide for yourself how active you want to be!
• Your membership of the Youth Panel is voluntary. You can leave at any time if it no longer suits you.

Does everything fit?

• Then write to us using the contact form. We will get back to you by e-mail, and you will receive all further information and a declaration of consent for you and your parents/guardians (if you are under 18).