germany age
What&#39;s the age in which people are allowed to engage in cybersex in Germany?
<p>As far as I understand, Germany has an age of consent of 14 or 16 depending on the context but in addition a law. On the other hand <a href="https://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/184.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 184</a> sets up a ban for "Verbreitung pornographischer Schriften". </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Translation via <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/englisch_stgb.html#p1644" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gesetze im Internet</a></p>
  
  <p>§184 Distribution of pornography</p>
  
  <p>(1) Whosoever with regard to pornographic written materials (section
  11(3))</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>offers, gives or makes them accessible to a person under eighteen years of age;</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>Does cybersex, especially when it's text-based, fall under that statute and is therefore outlawed?</p>

<h3>Does cybersex count as <em>pornography?</em></h3>

<p>The law does not define <em>pornography,</em> so this is up to an interpretation of the courts. However, it appears to be common consent that a depersonalisation of the subjects is an essential aspect. For example, <a href="http://www.gerichtsentscheidungen.berlin-brandenburg.de/jportal/portal/t/2wf4/bs/10/page/sammlung.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&amp;showdoccase=1&amp;js_peid=Trefferliste&amp;documentnumber=1&amp;numberofresults=1&amp;fromdoctodoc=yes&amp;doc.id=KORE228652008%3Ajuris-r02&amp;doc.part=L" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this verdict</a> notes (translations and emphasis mine):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Pornographie liegt nach der Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichtshofs und der Oberlandesgerichte vor, wenn eine Darstellung <strong>unter Ausklammerung aller sonstigen menschlichen Bezüge</strong> sexuelle Vorgänge […] in den Vordergrund rückt […] (vgl. BGHSt 37, 55 (60); 32, 40 (44 ff); OLG Karlsruhe NJW 1974, 2015 (2016); OLG Düsseldorf NJW 1974, 1474 (1475); ebenso BVerwG NJW 2002, 2966 (2969)).</p>
  
  <p>[…]</p>
  
  <p>Hinzukommen muss deshalb als weiteres Kriterium die sog. „<strong>Apersonalität des Geschlechtspartners</strong>“ (vgl. Erdemir, MMR 2003, 628 (631)). Die Darstellung muss mit anderen Worten durch eine Verabsolutierung sexuellen Lustgewinns unter gleichzeitiger <strong>Entmenschlichung der Sexualität</strong> geprägt sein. Pornographie ist danach anzunehmen, <strong>wenn der Mensch im Rahmen der Darstellung zum bloßen, auswechselbaren Objekt</strong> sexueller Begierde degradiert wird (vgl. S/S/Lenckner/Perron/Eisele, StGB 27. Aufl., § 184 Rdn. 4; MK-Hörnle a.a.O., § 184 Rdn. 15; jeweils m. w. Nachw.). […]</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<blockquote>
  <p>According to the Federal Court’s and the state courts’ jurisdiction, a depiction is pornography if it emphasises sexual procedures <strong>disregarding all human aspects</strong> [references]</p>
  
  <p>[…]</p>
  
  <p>Therefore, a necessary further criterion is the so-called “<strong>depersonalisation of the sexual partner</strong>” [reference].
  With other words, the depiction must be dominated by a absolutisation of sexual pleasure and a simultaneous <strong>dehumanisation of sexuality</strong>.
  Therefore pornography has to be asserted if <strong>a depiction reduces human beings to mere replaceable objects</strong> of sexual desire [references].</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(Also see <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornografie#Definition" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the German Wikipedia</a> for another summary and further references on the subject.)</p>

<p>Now, cybersex usually, if not inherently, is a personal procedure, as opposed to a depersonalised one. Therefore I would not consider it to fall under the quoted definition of <em>pornography.</em></p>

<h3>What other laws <em>do</em> regulate cybersex?</h3>

<p>The law governing the age of consent is <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__176.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 176 StGB</a> (<a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/englisch_stgb.html#p1538" rel="nofollow noreferrer">translation</a>), which includes:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(4) Mit Freiheitsstrafe […] wird bestraft, wer […] auf ein Kind mittels Schriften (§ 11 Absatz 3) oder mittels Informations- oder Kommunikationstechnologie einwirkt, um […] das Kind zu sexuellen Handlungen zu bringen, die es […] vor dem Täter […] vornehmen […] soll, […]</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<blockquote>
  <p>(4) Whosoever […] influences a child with written materials (section 11(3)) or with information or communication technology to induce him to engage in sexual activity […] in the presence of the offender […] shall be liable to imprisonment […].</p>
  
  <p>*Translation adapted from <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/englisch_stgb.html#p1538" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> to reflect <a href="http://lexetius.com/StGB/176,2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">recent changes</a> to the law.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Note that <em>Kind (child)</em> was established as <em>Person unter vierzehn Jahren (a person under fourteen years of age)</em> before.</p>

<p>I would interpret this to capture cybersex. The only thing about this that may be debatable is whether the sexual activity during cybersex happens <em>in the presence</em> of the offender (i.e., the other person).</p>
