11 questions on the topic of media consumption
When does my child need a mobile phone?
A child probably needs a mobile phone if it would use some of the functions offered by a mobile phone, if it can handle such a small computer responsibly and if the child and parents are equally happy to be in contact with each other via the mobile phone. In other words, if a first-grader asks for a mobile phone and only wants to take photos with it, it's better to give her an old digital camera. If the second-grader asks for a mobile phone so that he can play on an app, he can also do this on the tablet at home. But if a fourth-grader wants to communicate with her colleagues via digital media, make phone calls, take photos and use other functions on her mobile phone, then it is worth talking to her about getting her own device.
In practice, it is clear that the desire to have their own mobile phone depends very much on the children's peer group. And that the desire arises at younger and younger ages, with the age of first ownership moving further and further down. Personally, however, I would not advise giving a child their own smartphone before the 4th or 5th grade for no particular reason. Even if children already have their own device by then, not all functions need to be activated.
Eveline Hipeli, communication scientist and doctor of media education at the Zurich University of Teacher Education
Should I sign a contract with my child for mobile phone use?
If your son or daughter has a new mobile phone, the most important thing is to have a conversation about responsible use of the device, your own (and other people's) data and the mobile phone rules that should apply at home for children and parents alike. Some parents draw up so-called mobile phone contracts in which the children undertake to adhere to certain rules. This certainly makes sense at a younger age, as it signals and concretises the binding nature of the rules.
But you have to be aware that these contracts do not give a 100 per cent guarantee as to how the children will actually use the digital devices - they will certainly use them differently than the parents would like. With increasing age, parental control naturally decreases, and such mobile phone contracts tend to be difficult during puberty because children tend to react to too many rules with resistance. Here it can be useful to realise that we parents are first and foremost advisors, companions and supporters of our children, but not policemen.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
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Is mobile phone confiscation a sensible punishment?
Parents should not use mobile phone withdrawal as a means of education and therefore not as a punishment - conversely, mobile phone use should not be a reward either. If a child constantly breaks the agreed rules for mobile phone use, the parents could take the device away for a short time - until a solution is found. On the whole, it is important to show young people how to use their smartphones sensibly. Quite apart from this, four fifths of teenagers have their Internet use under control. Just under 9 percent exhibit problematic online behaviour and 12 percent exhibit risky behaviour.
Daniel Süss, media psychologist at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Are parents allowed to check their child's mobile phone?
There are parents who read their children's diaries, and there are parents who monitor Whatsapp chats. Some parents have such agreements with their children and others do this secretly. Personally, I would not recommend such a strategy, as it is very invasive of the child's privacy. Furthermore, from a legal perspective, children are considered capable of judgement at the age of 14. This does not mean that they can already assess all the consequences of their actions, but it does mean that they must also have the freedom to act unobserved and have their own experiences.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
Can I track my child using GPS?
It all depends on your need for security. In principle, there is nothing wrong with wanting to know where your child is at any given time. However, this also raises the question: Do I monitor my child secretly or do I discuss this with my child? The younger the child, the more understandable the parental need to know where the child is and where they are going. However, locating your offspring secretly and controlling them in this way is not advisable and does not reflect a culture of trust. Research has also shown that it has a negative impact on children's development towards independence if they are never able to experience social spaces completely independently and unobserved. It is therefore important to find a healthy balance and to talk to children about tracking apps.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
«Under 14-year-olds are not able to limit themselves when gaming - parents have to replace the missing frontal cortex, so to speak.»
Lutz Jäncke, neuropsychologist
Do I have to be a social media expert myself to prepare my child for the digital future?
No, certainly not. As a parent, you should of course take an interest in what is important in your child's life at the moment, including in relation to the media. But you don't have to use all apps and games as often as your child to be up to date. It is much more relevant to know the reasons why children and young people like to use this or that application. And if parents talk about these things with their children, they will stay on the ball.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
Should I ban my child from gaming?
Gaming should not be demonised in principle. There are now several studies that prove that gaming increases dexterity. Computer games also have positive effects on the formation of an identity and on social and cognitive development. Other studies have shown that the reward centre in the brain is significantly enlarged in children who play daily. The reward centre is responsible for sensations of pleasure of all kinds. Frequent gamers find it all the more difficult to withdraw from a computer game. If a child has been playing on a console for two hours and you want to take them away, you often experience a phenomenon similar to withdrawal in drug addicts: The child resists, becomes petulant and screams. I have experienced this with my own children. I therefore recommend time limits - especially for children and young people between the ages of 11 and 14, whose brains are currently undergoing a complete reorganisation. In terms of their brain development, they are not able to limit themselves effectively, so parents have to replace the missing frontal cortex, the frontal brain, until it has matured. That is parenting.
Lutz Jäncke, neuropsychologist
How useful are fixed screen times?
«Fixed» screen times can certainly be introduced, although there are two things to bear in mind: Firstly, that there are always days when you don't need to use screens at all. Secondly, that computers, tablets or mobile phones are sometimes needed for homework and exam preparation - beyond the agreed time. You should therefore allow the children a certain amount of flexibility and negotiate together how exactly you want to organise these screen times. The older the children are, the more say they should have. It is therefore best to discuss such rules on a situational basis or at defined intervals. Just as important as talking about how to deal with media is talking about positive things - the film, the video that the child has just watched or other facets of this topic. The impression should not be created that you only talk about media when it comes to rules and dangers.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
What does a child learn in media and IT that I as a mum can't teach them myself?
At home, children mainly take on the role of media consumer. At school, they become media producers. Ideally, from kindergarten age, children learn to slowly understand what media can do, what makes them tick and how they entertain and influence us. In computer science, they learn computerised thinking and an understanding of how the programmed world in which they are growing up works: The traffic lights, the control panels at the railway station, the coffee machines - how do they actually work? Strictly speaking, this is nothing more than what we parents learnt in physics lessons: why the light comes on when we flick a light switch.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
Parents complain about the high addictive potential of smartphones and consoles. How can a parent counteract this?
Reading used to have exactly the same addictive potential for us. As a child, I spent nights reading books under the duvet by the light of a torch. So I don't see any difference between gaming and reading. It's a question of what is considered morally better. The problem for many parents is that they perceive electronic devices as alien. They cannot control the content that absorbs their children's attention. For adults, they are an enemy. What helps is a clear deal with the children regarding media time. When we talk about mobile phone use, it's always a question of asking children to make certain adjustments.
Philipp Ramming, child and adolescent psychologist
How important is reading in the digital age?
It is still just as essential, especially reading longer texts and grasping the bigger picture. Thanks to social media and news via hyperlinks, we are increasingly used to absorbing information in chunks. It is therefore right and important to have the patience to read through a longer text and perceive it as a whole. What's more, the presence of tablets and the like does not necessarily mean that the good old book has had its day. On the contrary: reading a book without being distracted by incoming notifications and immersing yourself in an exciting story undisturbed can be a great pleasure. Children know that.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
100 questions and answers on education, family and school
Read more questions and answers from our big dossier here.
- 24 Fragen zum Thema Erziehung und Familie
Wie geht Erziehung? Was ist das richtige Rezept? Wie viel Sorge ist angebracht, wie viel Vertrauen nötig?
- 11 Fragen zum Thema Medienkonsum
Darf ich mein Kind per GPS orten? Ist Handy-Entzug als Bestrafung sinnvoll?
- 13 Fragen zur Pubertät
Mein Kind kifft, was soll ich tun? Ab wann können Kinder alleine zu Hause bleiben?
- 10 Fragen zum Thema Entwicklung und Psychologie
Wie wichtig sind Geschwister? Was kann ich tun, wenn ein Kind oft schlägt oder ausrastet?
- 18 Fragen zum Thema Schule und Lernen
Wann ist eine frühe Einschulung sinnvoll? Wie lernt ein Kind zu lernen?
- 19 Fragen zum Thema Elternsein und Paarleben
Ist es eigentlich in Ordnung, wenn man sich für sein Kind schämt? Soll man den Paar-Streit von Kindern fernhalten? Und wie findet man Zeit für sich, damit es gar nicht erst zu schwierigen Trennungsfragen kommt?
- 5 Fragen zu Liebe und Sexualität
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Eine Einzelausgabe mit allen 100 Fragen und Antworten gesammelt können Sie hier bestellen.