Is Tiktok harmful to our child?

Why are social media so successful?

One of the reasons why social media is so successful is that we never seem to be alone anymore. Being alone is a difficult state in terms of developmental psychology. We have to acquire the ability to be alone for a while throughout childhood and adolescence in order to be able to do so in adulthood.

Enduring oneself can be trained through media or only insufficiently developed.

Christine Bear

If we succeed in this, we have gained a great deal of maturity. Then we are firmly established in life and don't feel lonely when we are alone, because we can be inwardly connected to ourselves as well as to the outside world. However, the ability to endure oneself can be trained or insufficiently developed through the media.
Christine Bär

How are social media used?

In passive use, the user scrolls through without reacting. This is followed by reactive use, where people like and comment. And there is active, creative use, where you create posts yourself. Liking is the most common form of use.
Daniel Süss

At what age is social media allowed?

As a rule, most social networks officially allow their use from the age of 13. This sounds somewhat arbitrary, but there is a reason for it: almost all social media originate from the USA. There, no data may be collected from children under the age of 13.

In Europe, this figure is also used for the most part. However, these guidelines don't really help us because children are getting older and no one is checking this. If parents want to allow their children to use social media, they should make this dependent on the maturity of the child and discuss safety aspects with them in advance.
Thomas Feibel

We want to post pictures of our children. What should we look out for?

We have to be careful not to fall too much into this black-and-white thinking: Bad parents show their children on the internet and good parents don't do that. I am against such radical views.

There is a legitimate political interest in making families and children visible.

Ulla Autenrieth

We all agree that children also have the right to their own image. They should also not be exposed or portrayed in a disrespectful manner. At the same time, I think there is also a legitimate political interest in making families and children visible. Families and children need to be visible in society in order to have a voice.
Ulla Autenrieth

My daughter is a Tiktok fan. Does this platform have a negative impact on her development?

Parents of daughters often complain about the negative influence of this platform. There are now enough studies that substantiate and confirm this fear, especially in girls with mental health problems and disorders such as anorexia.
Armin Gottlieb Kunz

What is Discord?

Discord is an exchange platform where groups with common interests, such as gamers, meet in voice and video conferences. Game developers also come together with gamers on Discord to exchange ideas.
Philomena Schwab

I would tend towards more restraint on YouTube and also appeal to parents not to stage their children as advertising figures.

Ulla Autenrieth

How should I react if my child wants to post something personal about themselves?

Pedagogically, I would find it helpful to discuss three aspects with the young person.

Firstly: look inwards. Why do I want to share something? Am I happy about something I'm particularly good at? Have I succeeded at something I've been trying to do for a long time?

Secondly, focus on the child. Can we celebrate the success as a special experience in a private setting, put the child at the centre and rejoice together?

Thirdly, the extent of the publication must be weighed up. Who does the child want to tell? To their favourite people in their environment or do they want more people to know? What form is appropriate? Or is it perhaps safer not to disseminate the data digitally or at least not for strangers to see? These are the points at which media expertise comes into play.
Friederike Tilemann

What should we make of YouTube families who stage their children online?

I would tend towards more restraint and also appeal to parents not to stage their children as advertising figures.
Ulla Autenrieth