Cybergrooming affects approximately one-quarter of all children and adolescents, according to data from the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, prompting new theatrical awareness efforts on stage. On September 4, 2026, the Neues Theater in Halle hosted the premiere of “Ein Bild von mir,” a classroom and stage production by Juliane Hendes that examines how perpetrators manipulate minors online.
The Plot and Character Arc of Fritzi
Directed by Katharina Brankatschk, the 90-minute production follows Fritzi, a police trainee played by Kinga Schmidt who wears a blue shirt and trousers on stage. According to the production details, Fritzi shares her personal history with the audience to prevent young people from experiencing what she did. In the narrative, Fritzi recalls being 13 years old during her parents’ separation, facing school bullying, and receiving an online message from a man. “We quickly get into conversation and I feel seen and heard and liked just as I am,” Fritzi recounts in the script, describing how the online contact escalated until the perpetrator isolated her completely.
Schmidt noted in production statements that her character had grown too isolated to seek help elsewhere. “She basically has no other contacts that she thinks she could confide in and has already detached herself too much to be able to respond to it,” Schmidt explained regarding the dynamic of dependency engineered by online groomers.
Understanding Cybergrooming Tactics and Statistics
Cybergrooming involves perpetrators using social media platforms—such as YouTube, TikTok, Roblox, Discord, Instagram, and Snapchat—to build trust with minors before demanding explicit images or videos under threat of blackmail. Director Katharina Brankatschk emphasized that perpetrators operate with high levels of strategy and manipulation. “Even adult people can be very quickly manipulated and brought into relationships of dependency,” Brankatschk stated, adding that children often find loopholes to hide their smartphone activity from parents.
While the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW reports that 25 percent of youths have encountered cybergrooming, Brankatschk noted that many parents mistakenly believe their own children are not at risk. The production aims to dismantle victim-blaming mindsets. When Fritzi’s abuse is exposed in the play, she initially struggles with self-blame, asking whether she is at fault. Schmidt stressed the importance of confronting this reaction: “You are not to blame.”
Actionable Support and Future Performances
Alongside its mainstage run at the Neues Theater in Halle’s Schaufenster on Große Ulrichstraße, the production tours schools as a 45-minute classroom piece. Performances provide concrete resources for affected youth and families, including the “Nummer gegen Kummer” helpline at 116 111 and the online support platform “Schreib Ollie.”
Brankatschk urged adults to maintain open communication and avoid leaving children unsupervised with digital devices. “If children develop behavioral abnormalities, that often has a reason,” Brankatschk said. “So let’s listen and look there and protect young people from sexualized violence.” Following the September 4 premiere, additional performances are scheduled at the Neues Theater on September 8, 2026, and October 13, 2026.
Keep reading