Policy frameworks
Germany has comprehensively addressed the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children (BIK) in a number of different national public policies focused on BIK. The Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Human Dignity and the Protection of Minor in Broadcasting and in Telemedia provides the basis for diverse initiatives to support tools and regulation for a safer online environment. Examples in the area of positive content include support since 2008 for the "Ein Netz für Kinder" ("A Net for Children") by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), and the "Gutes Aufwachsen mit Medien" (BMFSFJ) Initiative ("Good growth with media") by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz (NetzDG) ("Network Enforcement Act") was enacted in 2017 to improve enforcement of the law in social networks.
Policy design
Policy is distributed across multiple actors across the 16 federal States, 14 media regulatory authorities, each with individual projects and fundings, in addition to nationwide projects and funding. Policy coordination is effected through the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, as well as through state-level ministries and media regulatory authorities. Several Advisory Boards also exist including BPjM (Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors), Netzwerk keine Grauzone, Initiativbüro "Gutes Aufwachsen mit Medien" (Inititating Office "Good growth with media"), and the klicksafe Advisory Board. Policy is underpinned by regular data collection including regular studies on the media use of children (KIM, Mini-KIM), adolescents (JIM) and families (FIM), Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (mpfs). A representative study on youth media protection from the perspective of children, parents and teachers and educationalists, "Jugendmedienschutzindex", was undertaken in 2017.
Policy actors
Policy implementation is jointly shared between government ministries, public agencies with responsibility for BIK (including voluntary self-regulation bodies), the Safer Internet Centre (SIC) and a number of NGOs. Children's participation is supported in German Youth Policy with a focus on participation with arrangements in place for children to be consulted on BIK-related through the klicksafe Youth Panel and the JUUUPORT service.
Breadth of activities
Breadth of activities outlines progress made in Member States delivering initiatives at the national level. Using the full range of recommendations contained in the BIK strategy, the following tables highlight which actions are supported and whether they have increased, stayed the same or decreased in prominence in the last three years for each of the BIK pillars.