Not just the devil's stuff

Social networks have a bad reputation among parents. Mums and dads often don't realise that their teenagers are creatively active on them.

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Michael In AlbonrnPicture: iStockphotornrnIn co-operation with Swisscomrn

Everything used to be much better, didn't it? Today's young people just sit around on their mobile phones, no longer read and are passive consumers, whereas their parents used to be outside in the fresh air, doing sport or playing with their friends. But is that even true? Or are we romanticising our memories?

Looking back 20 years, the change is accentuated. There were no smartphones back then, but there was already social communication via the internet and mobile phones. Parents were worried about chat rooms, text messages were available on subscription - but limited and all the more valuable. According to the JIM study from Germany, 91 per cent of households already had a computer and 85 per cent a mobile phone at the time. However, television was the most common media leisure activity for young people. Accordingly, the television programme was the predominant topic of conversation.

Many young people are an active part of a community

When I compare media use today with that of the past, I notice a welcome change: young people used to consume media passively for the most part - with a focus on TV and radio - and talked about the content on offer. Today, however, many young people are an active part of a community. They create their own content such as images, videos or texts and are surprisingly creative in doing so. According to the JAMES study, Tiktok is now the number one social network among young people - however silly the posts on the platform may seem to parents or guardians.

Of course, the majority of young people still passively consume content on Tiktok, Facebook or YouTube. But a growing proportion are active and creative. We should be happy about that. So let's stay calm and allow children to chill out with digital media from time to time.