Media: 10 questions about mobile phones, tablets and PCs
1. how much time can my child spend in front of screens?
Generally speaking, it's the mix that counts. As long as your child meets friends frequently, gets enough exercise and does their homework, the occasional tablet session or an episode of «Paw Patrol» in the afternoon won't do any harm. Media psychologists at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have developed the 3-6-9-12 rule of thumb as a guide: no screen consumption under the age of 3, up to 6 years a maximum of 30 minutes per day and with adults, up to 9 years no more than 5 hours per week and for 10 to 12-year-olds a maximum of 10 hours per week. The consumption of digital media by young people becomes a cause for concern from 20 hours per week.
2. how do I teach my child that screen time is now over? He rages when I take the tablet away from him!
You know when you are really engrossed in a task, story or conversation? Imagine someone says to you: «Ten more minutes» - and switches off the device after exactly ten minutes. You will be convinced that not even five minutes have passed! You have no sense of time, were in the middle of it and may not even have pressed save. If you as an adult feel like this, how should your child, who is even worse at estimating time than you, feel?
So try the following: Build a bridge between the media reality and the reality outside. This bridge makes it easier for your child to find their way from one world to the other. For example, sit next to your child, ask them what they are doing and immerse yourself a little. Instead of a time limit, find one that relates to the film or game. For example, «at the end of the level» or «after the next scene» are more tangible deadlines than «in five minutes». You will probably still be met with disapproval. But hopefully in a milder form.
3. what is my child learning about media at school?
This currently depends very much on which school in which canton your child attends and how committed the teachers at your institution are in this area. Curriculum 21 sets out the skills that pupils should learn during their time at primary school, from kindergarten to year 9.
Children should learn to use media creatively at the appropriate level.
On the one hand, the «Media and IT» module is about addressing and reflecting on media use outside of school. On the other hand, pupils should be prepared for the professional world with application skills and basic IT knowledge, as these are «required in practically every profession today», according to the Swiss-German Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education. The learning objectives grow with the children.
In Cycle 1, which covers the first four years including kindergarten, media skills should not be taught in a separate subject, but should be taken up again and again across subjects where appropriate. The aims of the first cycle are, for example, for pupils to be able to switch on a device and log on. Or that they learn to use media creatively in a way that is appropriate to their level and to share their own media experiences.
4 When can my child have a smartphone?
Your child will most likely tell you at primary school that they urgently need a smartphone. In fact, the Swiss Media Usage Study MIKE 2019 shows that a quarter of 6- to 9-year-olds already have their own mobile phone, three fifths of 10- to 11-year-olds and three quarters of 12- to 13-year-olds. And today, mobile phones are almost always smartphones.
However, most media educators advise that children should only have their own smartphone when they move on to secondary school. Simply because a smartphone is not a mobile phone, but a computer with internet access. And with a smartphone, children's media use is no longer under parental control. So children need to be media literate. And parents who have confidence in their children's media use. That's why even Tony Anscombe, security expert at the antivirus software company AVG and therefore generally interested in many smartphone users, advises: «Hold out as long as possible.» He himself allegedly put his son off until he turned 13.
5 Should I limit my child's smartphone use?
In any case, you should negotiate and define all the associated rules before purchasing a smartphone for your child. Write a contract about your individual usage rules - one that has been negotiated together and also contains rules for the parents. This will make it easier for your child to accept.
One thing is clear: offence and punishment must be clearly linked.
You can find a programme to create such an individual contract at mediennutzungsvertrag.de. For example, you can stipulate in the contract that the mobile phone is not allowed in the child's room at night or that the child must pay part of their pocket money towards the bill.
6 Is media deprivation a just punishment?
Opinions are divided here. Educators disagree on whether the device is not made even more exciting by withdrawal. One thing is clear: offence and punishment must be clearly linked. So not: «If you don't eat up, you have to go without your mobile phone for a week.» But rather: «You've brought your mobile phone to the dinner table again and broken our agreed rule - now I'm taking it away from you until tonight.» Here too, of course, it helps enormously if the rules have been agreed together and the children have also agreed to the possible consequences.
7. does it make sense to install internet filters for the PC and mobile phone?
Filters can be an important addition. To a certain extent, they prevent your child from accidentally coming across pornographic or violent content. Filters cannot prevent your child from deliberately searching for these things and using public Wi-Fi connections and other devices to do so. In addition, all filters can also be switched off - the instructions for this can be found on YouTube. Filters are therefore in no way a substitute for dialogue and trust between parents and children. Tell your child why you are installing a filter. And ask them to come to you if they come across something that seems strange.
8. does being media-savvy mean that I have to be up to date with every trend?
No. That's why you have your child. They are the expert and will be happy to explain their new favourite app, the fast-paced game and the new YouTube star if you listen with genuine interest. If you become the contact person for your child, they will also let you tell them about possible risks. As parents, you should of course already be aware of these.
9. how can we as parents be role models in the use of digital media?
Now it gets tough: ask yourself how much time you spend without media in your free time. How do you relax? How often are you not available? Be aware that your child is watching you closely when you use media. It is very likely that your child will copy your preferences and behaviour.
Children are used to different rules in different places.
Therefore, if possible, keep a low profile - and offer lots of alternatives to media consumption: playing games together, being creative, being outdoors, meeting friends - and set an example. According to Tony Anscombe, around 41 per cent of children in a Europe-wide survey said that their parents were on their mobile phones too often and for too long and felt they spent as much time on their mobile phones as with them. This makes it all the more important that your child knows that there are also media-free ways to spend their free time.
10 What if my children are allowed to do more at friends' houses than at home?
Children are used to different rules in different places. If your child is allowed to do things at a friend's house that you think are really questionable - talk to their parents. It is generally a good idea for parents to talk to each other about their children's media consumption. This way, you can find out whether your child is perhaps sometimes exaggerating when they say: «But everyone else is allowed to do that.»
Media games educator Jürgen Sleegers suggests that parents get together in groups and play their children's computer games together. Those who know their way around have a good basis for discussion - and also learn to have fun.
