LKA President Massinger warns: dangers for children in gaming!

LKA President Massinger warns: dangers for children in gaming!

Niedersachsen, Deutschland - A fresh wind blows through the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office (LKA). Thorsten Massinger, the new president since May 2025, has set itself a big goal: addressing and raising awareness of young people in digital rooms, especially on gaming platforms. According to N-tv Violence and sexual abuse on the Internet. In order to counteract this, Massinger plans an increased digital presence of the police.

As part of a pilot project, a team from the Hannover police department has been stable on the popular Twitch platform since the end of 2024. Here you can not only play video games, but also communicate directly with the community, answer questions and clarify about important topics such as stalking. According to Massinger, around 2.5 to 4 million users are active on Twitch every day, which makes the platform an ideal place to do educational work.

dangers on the net

"It is important to us to sensitize the parents," emphasizes Massinger. The main focus is on the risks that are based on internet challenges and the radicalization of young people, which is often related to right-wing extremists. This topic is urgent, because children and adolescents are increasingly addressed by manipulative online groups that involve dangerous cycles from threats and blackmail. According to bka such critical situations can have extremely bad, right down to suicide or punishable actions.

Such online groups, also called "Com", use platforms to specifically address mentally conspicuous children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 17. Often the perpetrators themselves act in a young age and gradually manipulate their victims to achieve power and recognition. This is often done by targeted speeches, also in the context of cyber grooming - a serious threat to young people who have already hit 25 % of children and adolescents according to a survey by the State Institute for Media NRW 2024.

What can parents do?

parents and confidants are required to carefully observe the behavior of their children on the net. Warning signals such as sudden social withdrawal, extreme online times or inexplicable gifts should not be ignored. Open communication and the search for medical or psychological support are recommended when abnormalities become visible. In the event of suspected cases, the police should be informed and chosen in acute dangerous situations of emergency call 110.

The LKA Lower Saxony, with around 1,300 employees the central body for fighting crime in the state, has set itself the task of strengthening the awareness of digital crime with various initiatives. With its streaming campaign on Twitch, the Hanover police department is a pioneer in Germany. The way to be active on these popular platforms could be the key to protect the next generation from digital dangers and bring police work closer to young people.

The topics that are addressed here are explosive and educational at the same time. After all, these are the questions that will not be fashionable for a long time.