Worrying trends that show a spike in numbers of children/teenagers sexting and engaging in explicit graphic online content have caused the European Parliament to take it up and discuss it in the latest plenary.

Our MEP, Helmut Geuking, who is co-chair of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Demographic Challenges, Family- Work Balance and Youth Transition, has hosted a meeting dealing with the dangers children these days are facing online.

Francesco Agnello, the coordinator of the intergroup, moderated the discussion and various MEPs have joined in online at various times. The speakers were:

- Valeriu Ghiletchi, rapporteur of the report on combating child over-sexualisation, which has been adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and board member of the ECPM

- Anne-Sixtine Pérardel, co-founder of l'association Dé.clic, an organisation that focuses on the effects of pornography on teenagers and adults

The rich discussion will be summarized in a recommendation report for the European Commission. it will include practical steps on how the EU can purposefully combat child over sexualisation, online sexual abuse and harmful internet content.