Police Hannover is breaking new ground: gamers against internet dangers!

Police Hannover is breaking new ground: gamers against internet dangers!

Hannover, Niedersachsen, Deutschland - The LKA Lower Saxony takes the safety of children and adolescents seriously and gives particular importance to the Internet. Under the leadership of the new President Thorsten Massinger, the police are based on innovative ways to familiarize young users online with the challenges and dangers. The LKA plans a comprehensive educational offensive that is carried out with a special focus on the Twitch gaming platform. According to NDR is Hanover in Germany that dares this step.

The LKA President Massinger emphasizes the need that the police are not only present online, but is also accessible to young users. The Hanover police department has been active on Twitch since the end of 2024, where so -called "Twitch Officers" play with young people and communicate directly with them. The aim of this initiative is to transmit information at eye level and to answer questions about topics such as insults, psychological violence and sexual abuse. The focus here is in particular to clarify about cybergrooming. It is a worrying way of manipulation in which perpetrators pretend to be young or trustworthy adults to gain the trust of young people.

The alarming numbers

The situation is serious: In 2023 there was an alarming increase of 45 percent in child pornography. More than a quarter of minors have already had experience with cybergrooming, as is clear through surveys. According to a survey by the State Institute for Media North Rhine-Westphalia, almost seven percent of minors were asked to undress in front of a camera. In addition, 15 percent of those surveyed stated that they had been contacted by adults to meet personally. These high numbers show that the educational work is urgently required.

help for those affected

There are also bright spots for the affected children and adolescents. What you can rely on is the support from trustworthy adults, such as parents or school advisors. There are also organizations such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which offers a contact point for those seeking help via the cybertiplines. Here those affected can report themselves and receive support. The NCMEC team brings families with similar crisis experiences and offers emotional help.

In keeping with the comparatively innovative approach in prevention, it is important to emphasize that many young people want more information about cybergrooming. More than two thirds of the respondents have expressed this wish, whereby there is a particularly high demand for information in schools. It is a clear call to the action, not only to the police, but also to families, schools and society as a whole.

The internet landscape offers many options, but at the same time it also harbors great dangers for the young generation. With the right educational options and support options, it can be possible to protect children and young people and to enable them to experience a safe online experience. The responsibility of becoming active here is in our hands.