There has been substantial progress in minimally invasive techniques in children in recent years. Numerous investigators have shown that laparoscopic and thoracoscopic paediatric surgery can be performed safely. It has been postulated that minimally invasive paediatric surgery is associated with low morbidity, a shorter hospital stay, lower costs and clinical results similar to those achieved by open surgery. The present article reviews information from the past 2 years on the pathophysiological effects, feasibility, standards, new techniques, the importance of the method in malignant diseases and robotics. However, most of these reports still focus on safety and feasibility. It would be preferable if the paediatric surgical society itself would discriminate between useful and useless or harmful techniques. Therefore, further systematic research on the advantages and limits of minimally invasive surgery in children is mandatory.