Digital media has become an integral part of the everyday life of most children and young people in Germany; especially in the wake of the corona crisis, many children have become addicted to media. On average, all age groups surveyed – starting from six years old – use their smartphone for two hours a day. Overall, 92 percent of children and young people use the Internet. This was the result of a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom.
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survey results The study is based on self-reports from more than 900 children and young people. It shows that average smartphone use increases rapidly with increasing age. While children aged 6 to 9 spend an average of 37 minutes a day on their smartphones, children aged 16 to 18 spend more than three hours.
Kids are starting to use smartphones at an early age
(Image: Bitkom)
The main activities with a smartphone are sending text messages (90 percent), listening to music, playing radio or podcasts (89 percent) and taking photos or videos (82 percent). But many people also use social media and educational programs.
For one third of people, life without social media is unimaginable
52 percent of children and young people aged 10 and over find life boring without the Internet. 93 percent of children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18 use social networks, with the video platform YouTube – which many use as a communication platform – being the most popular with 87 percent. The average usage time is 95 minutes per day. One third of those surveyed cannot imagine life without social media.
Despite the widespread use of digital media, there are also concerns about online safety. 76 percent of 10- to 18-year-olds said they knew how to adjust privacy settings on social networks – 72 percent of whom had already changed these settings.
Negative online experiences
The study also shows that children and young people are exposed to stressful topics online. 39 percent of internet users aged 10 and older have read hateful comments about others and 33 percent have seen fear-inducing content online, such as depictions of violence.
To prevent negative experiences with the Internet and digital media, not only are “technical and human resources for the police and investigation authorities” needed. Media skills of parents are also in demand, but schools also have to encourage children and young people to use the Internet, explains Bitkom Managing Director Dr. Ralf Wintergerst. This is one of the reasons why Bitkom and others regularly call for computer science to be introduced as a compulsory subject from secondary level I across Germany.
(Mac)
