In 2024, the FSM-Hotline received 25,536 reports - its second-highest total since it was established in 1997. The highest number to date was recorded in 2023 with 30,573 reports. Users can report Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), pornography, extremism, and other online content harmful to children and young people. Of the 2024 reports, 68% (17,395) were substantiated, meaning they violated German youth media protection laws.

CSAM accounted for 46% (8,077 cases) of these confirmed violations, down from 12,918 cases in 2023. This decrease is partly due to fewer mass submissions from international partner hotlines. Most CSAM reports in 2024 came from individual users. ICAP sites (‘Invite Child Abuse Pyramid’) were also reported. By the end of 2024, many of these sites were no longer accessible. For CSAM hosted on servers in Germany, the average time from report to removal was 1.5 days (2023: 1.2 days), with a 100% removal rate. CSAM hosted abroad was reported to the respective INHOPE-partner-hotline via ICCAM. After four weeks, 93% of this content had been removed (2023: 87%).

Besides CSAM the substantiated complaints also included 8,529 cases of pornography that was freely accessible to minors due to a lack of age verification measures, 318 cases of extreme violence, 249 cases of content classified as harmful to minors as well as 222 cases of hate crime.

In addition to the main findings, the following development was notable: In the first half of 2024, the FSM-Hotline received reports of commercial videos showing cruelty to animals, particularly the killing of certain primates in Southeast Asia. These were classified as ‘severely harmful to minors’. The videos were originally distributed to paying viewers by organized groups. Users could select tools and methods used in the abuse, influencing the videos' content. Repeated removal of related groups and associated commentary suggests a shift toward distribution via private messaging services.

The FSM-Hotline’s ability to take swift and effective action against illegal online content is also made possible by numerous long-standing collaborations with partner hotlines, youth media protection organisations and authorities in Germany and around the world.


More information can be found on the FSM website. Full statistics can be found here Beschwerdestelle.