Love, recklessness and lost money: how a 15-year-old gave away thousands of euros to a boy on the internet

Pocket money is a thing of the past - now five-figure sums flow in

What happens when youthful feelings meet digital acquaintances? Apparently quite a lot of money in Bavaria. A 15-year-old schoolgirl gave away more than 10,000 euros to a 16-year-old boy from Kiel over a period of months - voluntarily, according to the police. The curious thing is that a large part of the money came from her father's account, who is now faced with a legal dilemma.

The two had met through a video game, chatted on TikTok and kept in touch for months. Then the teenager promised money - as a reward for a meeting. And she delivered: when the boy traveled to Bavaria with his brother, she immediately gave him a five-figure sum in cash.

No fraud, no coercion - so no criminal offense?

The police see no criminal offense. Why? Because the boy did not demand the payments and the girl made them "voluntarily". He had neither put her under pressure nor threatened her. Bitter realization for the father: the police can't help.

Instead, the answer is: civil law. This is because the gift may have been invalid - for example, because the daughter does not have full legal capacity. There is also the possibility of the father reclaiming the money. But even if that were legally possible, where is the money now? And what if it has long since been spent?

Moral vacuum or emotional dependency?

The case may be legally complicated, but it is tragic in human terms. A 15-year-old gives large sums of money to a boy over a period of months, who ends up blocking her because she is "too pushy". He later agrees to meet her anyway - in exchange for cash.

The question arises: Is it really voluntary? Or is it an emotional dependency in which one teenager wants to buy her affection with money - and another takes advantage of her coldly without ever asking for money?

It's not the Internet that's dangerous - it's the lack of boundaries

Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right. The fact that a 16-year-old accepts five-figure sums - from a teenager in love - and then claims that it was all voluntary is not a cool move, but morally wrong. And the fact that the authorities let the whole thing pass as a gift in purely legal terms shows how helpless our legal system is when it comes to the emotional dependencies of minors.

We need stricter rules for financial transactions among minors, digital prevention work in schools - and perhaps a little more media literacy for everyone involved. Love must not become a one-way street towards bank accounts.