Commercial website providers of contents which are possibly harmful to children or young people must appoint a Youth Protection Representative. USK.online can take over this function for its members.
According to the Youth Protection State Agreement of Minors in the Media , providers of generally accessible telemedia, which may contain content impairing development or harmful to minors, are obliged to appoint a youth protection officer. This officer must have the necessary professional competence, advise providers on the design of their offerings in conformity with the protection of minors and act as a contact for users and supervisory institutions (cf. § 7 JMStV).
Although no special professional qualification is required for this role, the youth protection officer usually requires at least relevant legal knowledge in the field of youth protection. Incidentally, company owners or plant managers may not assume the role of youth protection officer, as a conflict of interest is to be assumed here.
In his or her advisory function, the youth protection officer usually has to cover a wide range of topics. Depending on how exactly a provider’s offer is structured and what content is offered, it is necessary to decide which measures are to be implemented and how. This concerns, for example, the use of technical means to restrict access, the classification of the relevance of telemedia content for the protection of minors, the design of social media offerings or streaming offerings, but also the legally compliant implementation of events, online shops and others.
At the same time, it is the responsibility of the youth protection officer to be active in external relations, i.e. in direct communication with users. Here he/she advises the users on how the offer can be used from the point of view of youth protection, helps with enquiries from parents or children and deals with complaints or other information.
If no youth protection officer is appointed, this is an administrative offence pursuant to § 24 Art. 1 No. 8 JMStV, which can be punished with a fine of up to € 500,000.
How the USK can support you in this process
As part of a membership, USK.online offers to take over the role of the youth protection officer. In addition to the other benefits of a membership, the USK’s expertise serves as a link between providers and users, advises, informs and helps to process enquiries properly and supervise necessary implementations. In order to reduce the communication effort, a separate e-mail mailbox is created for members, through which all inquiries are processed by the USK.
If you have further questions about USK.online membership, you can find out more here or contact the USK.online department directly.
