2. Teckids
3. teckids.org
4. Englisch
5. Zen

<i>1. No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation. 2. The child has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.</i>

If a legal guardian has knowledge of the password against the will of the child, we see it as a violation of this fundamental right.

Passwords are private

Passwords are used to protect information from unauthorized access. They give children, for example, access to their e-mail or their social media accounts. Knowing the passwords gives you access to information that is part of children's privacy. The protection of privacy is a fundamental right for all people.

Browsing data by parents

As already mentioned, everyone (including children) has a right to privacy, which must be respected. Just one of the many reasons parents shouldn't have access to their children's cell phones. Another important reason is that simply locking it down or having total control is not a solution.

We recommend parents to try to provide information and prevent dangers by talking to everyone involved. Because if children learn from an early age how to behave safely on the Internet, strict control is not necessary to ensure the safety of the child.

Declaration of intent

Consent of the legal representative

When using many services on the Internet, there is a contract between the user and the operator of the service. The general terms and conditions of the service provider must be accepted. In order for such a contract to come about, the consent of the legal representative is necessary for children between the ages of 7 and 17 inclusive according to § 107 of the German Civil Code, if the contract does not only give the child legal advantages. This is the case, for example, if the terms and conditions stipulate that the data collected is used for other purposes.

</i>Section 107 Consent of the legal representative The minor requires a declaration of intent through which he does not only obtained a legal advantage, the consent of his legal representative.</i>

Parents are not allowed to make a declaration of intent on behalf of their children

Parents may not conclude a declaration of intent on behalf of the children if this declaration of intent does not only result in advantages. This also applies if children have no or only limited legal capacity. The will of the child must be taken into account in any case. Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says:

Article 12 "Taking into account the child's will":

<i>1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. 2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law. </i>

We recommend parents to talk to the children about the advantages and disadvantages the children experience when using certain media or services. The consent to the terms and conditions of certain services should therefore always be agreed between parents and children (see also “Principles of online services”). The child's current level of development must always be taken into account. If the child is not able to understand the facts even after making a declaration, he must refrain from submitting a declaration of intent.

Own publications

When it comes to your own publications on the Internet, a common assumption is that everything that is posted on the Internet will eventually become a disadvantage. As a result, parents often advise their children not to post their names or other personal details publicly. We only partially agree with this often-cited allegation. Of course, it is very important, especially for children, to always check carefully what information is being published and to see who should see the information before posting on the Internet. The rights of others must also always be observed. The rights of people who may have been mentioned in a post must not be violated by posting (e.g. by uploading photos showing people who do not want to be seen on the Internet).

Thinking carefully before posting a post can avoid such conflicts. Furthermore, contributions can not only be a disadvantage. No, just the opposite. Some posts, such as reports from events or reports from lectures that you have given, could even be given high credit.

Instead of generally avoiding or forbidding publications on the Internet, we recommend that parents teach children to think carefully before posting what to post and whether or not one should or may post it.