«Parents should be aware of their child's media consumption»
Mrs Hipeli, are kindergarten children allowed to come into contact with new media?
As media educators, we repeatedly point out that children are not at a disadvantage compared to their peers if they have not yet used digital media before they start kindergarten. However, the reality in families is that the majority of all kindergarten children already have their first experience with digital media at pre-school age: whether it's watching TV on their parents' tablet, playing a short game on their dad's smartphone in the shopping queue or listening to Punch and Judy on Spotify. In a one-child household, contact with digital media is certainly easier to control. The more children of different ages there are in the household, the more difficult it becomes.
What is your recommendation?
Parents should always ask themselves: How should my child grow up? Which media play a role in our household? Which media do I want my child to have access to? And which not? Am I myself a reasonably authentic role model as a parent? To come back to your original question: Kindergarten children already come into contact with new media and yes, they are allowed to do so. Ideally, this contact should be gradual, measured and, above all, supervised.
It is tempting to sedate a child with digital media.
Eveline Hipeli, media educator
What goes through your mind when you see children with a smartphone on the tram or train?
For them, the smartphone is a substitute for another activity in such situations (which they can't do on the tram/train or bus). Or a substitute for communication (with a friend, parent or carer). When there were no smartphones, children were given a Gameboy, a children's magazine from the newsagent or a Walkman - with the same aim: to entertain the child at that moment, to bridge boredom.
But that is precisely what is being criticised.
It is temptingly easy to keep a child quiet with digital media. Children should learn that boredom is not always «filled» with a media activity.
How much media consumption is too much?
There is a difference between a five-year-old scrolling through their mum's photos for five minutes on the tram or watching their own zoo video from the previous day, and a four-year-old watching YouTube videos for half an hour in a restaurant. The younger the child, the more parents should think about why and for how long they let their smartphone out of their hands.
What is the most important advice for parents on media consumption for kindergarten children?
It is crucial that parents are aware of their children's media consumption, accompany them in their contact with media and are on hand to answer questions and concerns. To this end, it is advisable to set rules, such as how long and when digital media may be used. Parents can explain to the child why they are setting these rules. Not to «punish» the child, but because they want them to do well.
Do you think total internet abstinence makes sense for young children?
Young children don't need the Internet. The vast majority of the internet is something completely incomprehensible to them. However, they do encounter the internet and its functions in everyday life, for example when they make video calls to grandma abroad or are allowed to watch a cartoon on Netflix. Parents should therefore think carefully about when and how they allow the Internet into their children's lives - or whether it would be better for them to watch their favourite cartoon on TV or DVD. As a general rule, children should never go exploring the internet alone when they are young.
