With media, children can learn, be creative, relax and have fun. It is important for children of primary school age and above to develop a conscious and increasingly independent approach to media. As parents, you are responsible for ensuring that media consumption does not get out of hand. Common rules for media use in the family are helpful.
Children of primary school age need clear rules. They provide security and help them to use media consciously. Agree these together with your child:
Children accept rules better if they are allowed to help decide. Think together about what makes sense – and what happens if a rule is broken. A media usage agreement can help to record everything. Be careful not to use media bans as leverage.
Adapt the media rules to your child’s stage of development. From adolescence, for example, fixed media times can be gradually abolished. Nevertheless, there should be rules about which media may be used for which purposes, for example with their first smartphone. Accompaniment by parents is still important in adolescence. Talk to your child about his or her media use. Ask how and why it uses what and how it copes with it. Always be available if there are any problems.
Games are particularly fascinating for many children – but they also pose challenges. Establish clear rules forcomputergames together:
Media time rules are often difficult to enforce – technical aids can help. Parental control functions in operating systems, settings in devices, apps and games as well as parental control apps help to comply with time limits and break times and to filter content. However, your child should gradually learn to put the smartphone or tablet aside by itself after the screen time is over. In this way, they practice and internalize a conscious approach to media.
Younger children should only install new apps and computer games together with their parents. As they get older, you can gradually give your child more responsibility and adjust the technical settings to suit their age.
Sooner or later, many parents hear: “Everyone else already has a smartphone/plays a console/may use TikTok!” Don’t let this put you under pressure. Children compare themselves, but every child is different. Explain your decisions to your child and involve them in an age-appropriate way. Your child will be increasingly influenced by friends at school age. It can help to talk to other parents and agree on common ground rules with classmates or friends.
As a parent, you are an important guide for your child. Therefore, be aware of your role model function – also with regard to media use. Certain rules should apply to everyone. For example, you can agree that smartphones have no place at mealtimes or set up smartphone-free family days.
Instead of simply regulating media use, it is worth consciously creating shared media experiences. A weekly movie night with the family or listening to music together at the weekend strengthens family cohesion and at the same time offers opportunities to talk about content, discover media preferences and convey values.
Movie or game night! But which movies, series or computer games are suitable for the whole family? What does the age rating on the cover or before playing the digital content actually mean? Age labels are intended to protect children and young people from problematic content, but they are not age recommendations. This article explains the differences and shows how parents can make good decisions for their children.
In Germany, there is a system for assessing whether media could be problematic or harmful for a young audience: Age rating or age labeling. It is carried out by various institutions:
All of these checks look at whether media content contains violence, sexuality, drug use or discrimination, for example, or has a lasting frightening effect. The age rating changes depending on how this content is presented. In the case of games, usage risks such as in-game purchases and chat functions are also taken into account in the rating. If a film or game is not approved for a certain age, this means, for example, that it is intercepted by youth protection filters or may only be shown on television from a certain time. The age of visitors is checked in cinemas or at the point of sale. In addition to the age rating, additional information is often published that provides information at a glance about the reasons for an age rating, such as “violence” or “drugs”. On DVDs and Blu-rays, the colored stickers indicate the age rating.
Media content is checked to see whether it could impair the development of children and young people. The aim of age ratings is to protect young people from traumatizing or frightening content. There is no pedagogical assessment behind it: The content is not checked to see whether it is interesting or recommendable for young users!
A recommendation, on the other hand, is nothing more than a ‘good tip’. We get recommendations from friends and neighbors, from the radio – or from educators who check media offerings to see whether they are appealing to children, easy to understand and valuable in terms of content.
As anyone can make a recommendation, it is important to question whether it is well-founded and credible. In the case of private recommendations, it helps to assess the person. In the case of articles or websites, you should know and question the authors. Good sources include:
Every child is different and processes stressful moments differently. It therefore makes sense to combine different sources of information regarding age ratings and recommendations.
If you as a parent adhere to the age ratings, you significantly reduce the risk of your child experiencing lasting impairment. In addition, recommendations from reputable sources improve the selection of good media offerings.
Ideally, parents should also see for themselves: watch the movie beforehand, find out about the game on YouTube or even try it out for yourself. After all, you know your child best and know what they like, what is too much for them or what they are afraid of.
You should also make use of the services offered by the self-regulatory bodies, which publish a wealth of information, explanatory texts and additional information on the labels issued.
And above all: keep the conversation going! Talk to your child about their media experiences. Listen and show interest in the movies or games they love – but also in the ones they don’t like. This way, nothing stands in the way of an entertaining movie or game night with the whole family.
Events such as wars or natural disasters often dominate the news for days on end. Children are aware of these topics – through conversations at home, at school or via the internet. However, much of the information is difficult to understand or frightening. How can children be introduced to news in an age-appropriate way?
Children should learn to understand the world. But many news formats for adults are too complex or frightening. Images of violence or disasters can be overwhelming. In addition, “fake news” and political opinion making make it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Age-appropriate guidance is important. Parents can help to classify what they have seen – and select suitable, safe offers.
There are numerous news formats on the internet especially for children – with simple language, clear explanations and without shocking images. Some children are even reporters themselves.
Recommended offers:
The children’s search engine fragFINN.de helps to find trustworthy children’s offers. The search results are filtered and age-appropriate.
Podcasts allow children to listen to news at their own pace – without scary images.
Recommended podcasts:
Young people often obtain information via social networks such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok. However, there is also a lot of misinformation and extreme opinions out there. Reputable services that take young people seriously and communicate on an equal footing are therefore particularly important:
Even child-friendly news can be unsettling. Some children are curious, others are quickly worried. It’s not just the offer that matters, but also the conversation:
Snapchat is a free social media and chat app for sharing photos and short videos (snaps) and messages. What makes it special is that the content is only visible for a short time and then disappears automatically.
Snapchat allows users to send photos and short videos to contacts as messages or stories. These snaps are only visible for up to 24 hours and then “self-destruct”. The photos and videos can be edited with countless filters and effects. In addition to private stories from friends, there is also content from stars and brands. Snapchat is characterized by a wide range of functions:
In addition to the free version, Snapchat also offers Snapchat+ as a paid add-on. This allows children and young people to test new, not yet officially released functions in a kind of premium version – such as additional design options, more information about story views or new options for designing their avatar, the so-called “BitMoji”.
The app is one of the most popular applications among teenagers aged 13 and older. Teenagers love to use Snapchat to communicate with their friends. For this purpose, images and videos are simply sent instead of text. The use of fun filters, videos that can be accompanied by music and even disappearing messages are what make the app so appealing. Snapchat appears more youthful and playful than Instagram, for example. Communication seems more private to young people, as content is only exchanged with individual contacts or in groups. People are shown as avatars on the “Snap Map”, which makes it look like a game.
The content on Snapchat does not disappear completely, but is simply no longer directly visible after a certain period of time. However, with a little technical knowledge, they can be restored to the device. Images can also be easily saved using a screenshot or screen recording. Although the sender usually receives a notification about this, this can also be avoided with certain tricks.
It can be problematic when children and young people send very personal or even intimate images and videos – these could be used against them in cyberbullying, for example. As a lot of content is sent on a daily basis, it is difficult to control. It is therefore important that users know how to block contacts or report content, especially unwanted messages. The “Snap Map”, which updates your location every time you open the app, is also critical – this makes it easy to draw conclusions about your place of residence, school or hobbies.
Certain content can also be problematic for children and young people. This includes images that are not age-appropriate as well as inappropriate advertising or snaps of brands and products.
Snapchat has a reward system with emojis. Small symbols appear next to the names of contacts to show how close a friend you are with someone. For example, a flame with a number means how many days in a row you have sent snaps to each other. According to the latest JIM study, one in three young people collect Snapchat flames every day. Such emojis can put pressure on children and young people to send pictures every day in order to “maintain” friendships in the app.
According to the terms and conditions of the provider Snap Inc., the use of Snapchat is only permitted for young people aged 13 and over with their parents’ permission. However, there is no technical verification of the age information.
The distribution of adult content (e.g. pornography) is prohibited. Minors may not post or send nude images or sexually suggestive content. Violations can be reported via the Snapchat Safety Center. Users can block and report others; violations of the Snapchat guidelines are reviewed by Snapchat content moderators.
According to its privacy policy, Snapchat collects a lot of data from its users, including when they use AI services such as My AI. According to the provider, the data is transmitted in encrypted form, but can be used for personalized advertising and analysis purposes and passed on to third-party providers.
Parents can use various control functions in the app via the “Family Center”.
If your child wants to use Snapchat, talk together about possible communication risks such as unwanted contacts. Go through the privacy settings together and clarify that sent pictures can be saved as screenshots. Your child should only add people they really know. The youth website Handysektor provides a good overview.
Talk to your child about the Snap Map: What are the consequences of having their location visible – and is it really necessary? The location is often shared automatically when the app is opened. This can be prevented in “ghost mode” or by revoking location sharing. If a contact uses Snapchat+, special attention should be paid to deactivating the tracking function or blocking the person if necessary.
The emoji reward system can make your child want to be online all the time – for fear of missing out(FOMO) or losing friendships. Talk to your child about this and encourage them to maintain friendships in real life and independently of apps like Snapchat.
In consultation with your child, use the control functions via the Snapchat Family Center. There you can, for example, get an overview of your child’s activities and make settings such as setting up content controls in the app or deactivating the My AI chatbot. A separate Snapchat account is required to connect to your child’s account. Your child must consent to the connection themselves. In the Snapchat Family Safety Hub you will find compact information, videos and guides on functions such as Snap Map, safety settings and age ratings.
Whether via search engines, messengers or social media – many children and young people today come across pornographic content online at an early age. This often happens by chance, sometimes out of curiosity. For parents, this is frightening at first – but an interest in sexuality is part of normal development. The important thing is that children and young people can learn how to deal with such content – if they are supported in doing so.
While pornographic content used to be available only to a limited extent and usually for a fee – for example in video stores or special magazines – it can now be accessed online at any time and often free of charge. Children and young people not only access such content via traditional porn sites – sexualized images can also be found on social networks or via messengers. A click on a picture or a random link is often enough.
Although platforms such as TikTok and Instagram do not show explicit pornography, they often contain very revealing, sexualized content that can be confusing or disturbing, especially for younger people. Internet forums such as Reddit also have sub-forums with explicit content – they are not always clearly marked as such and can be accessed with just a few clicks.
OnlyFans, originally intended for paid content, is also frequently used for erotic or pornographic posts. Although the platform is officially only accessible from the age of 18, such content also reaches other channels via screenshots, redirects or third-party providers – often without age control.
New trends around artificial intelligence are particularly controversial: with little effort, deceptively real deepfakes can be created – pornographic videos in which the face of classmates or a well-known person is inserted. This is not only a form of digital violence, but also a criminal offense. Children and young people need to know that such content is hurtful, illegal – and can have serious consequences.
In Germany, it is regulated by law that children and young people under the age of 18 may not have access to pornographic content. This is based on the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV) and the Youth Protection Act (JuSchG), which classify such content as developmentally harmful.
However, some content is not only prohibited for minors, but is generally punishable – regardless of age:
Despite these regulations, the challenge in practice is to effectively implement the protection of children and young people, especially in the digital age. Providers of pornographic content are obliged to ensure that only adults are granted access – for example through age verification systems. In practice, however, many platforms are based abroad and do not implement these controls adequately. A simple click on “I am 18” is often enough to gain access.
Since 2024, the EU’s Digital Services Act has obliged all providers to take stricter measures to protect minors. Some large platforms (e.g. Pornhub, xHamster) now block users from Europe without proof of age. Nevertheless, there are still loopholes that make it difficult to protect children and young people.
Porn is often appealing to adolescents in puberty – partly because of the ban. Many young people get information online – especially if sexuality is not discussed at home. This can lead to misconceptions:
Some young people use porn to escape from everyday life – this can develop into a habit or even an addiction.
The best protection is not an app, but an open relationship: talk to your child – even about difficult topics such as pornography. The earlier you start talking about sexuality, the less your child will have to search for it in secret.
Show interest instead of punishing. Explain that porn is staged and often has little to do with real sexuality. Make it clear that those who are informed can deal with such content more confidently and critically.
Important tips:
Use offers of help
Report content
Has your child come across problematic or illegal content? You can report these sites together:
Whether in series and manga, in video games and social media or in the world of celebrities – young people encounter figures and characters everywhere that inspire them. Whether superheroes like Spider Man, game characters like Ahri, anime characters like Levi Ackerman or stars like Billie Eilish – teenagers regard a wide variety of media figures as their role models and look up to them.
Do you remember how enthusiastically your child told you about his favorite characters from movies and television a few years ago? From an early age, children are guided by their favorite media characters. Young people also look for role models not only in their immediate environment of family, friends or clubs, but increasingly in the media offerings they use.
Forming one’s own identity is one of the most important tasks in adolescence. Media content and characters take on important functions for young people. In this way, media role models can help people develop their own values. They can not only offer young people orientation and support, but even inspire them to try out and experiment with different identities and roles. It is character traits such as courage, honesty, loyalty, sincerity and perseverance that go down particularly well with young people. But they are also fascinated by characters who are particularly funny or original or who pursue big goals.
It is particularly important for teenagers to share information about their media idols, which creates a sense of community. Often, clothing, (youth) language or hobbies, but also media use itself, show which media role models they feel close to. Youth cultures, such as e-boys and e-girls, are popular among young people, and by belonging to such currents they also distinguish themselves from one another within their peer group.
In addition to a large number of fictional characters from films, series, games and books, real people from the media world also inspire young people. These can be celebrities from the film and music industry or social media stars. With this variety of media figures, it can happen that one loses the overview. Here are a few examples:
Parents don’t have to like their children’s media idols. Nevertheless, talk to your child about their media heroes. Ask which of their character traits your child particularly likes.
Media also feature figures who are not well suited as role models. They may model problematic behaviors or teach questionable values. Sometimes they reproduce stereotypical gender images, prejudices or clichés that result in a false or incomplete worldview. Media role models play an important role in forming political opinions, but they do not always live up to their responsibility. Young people are particularly susceptible to populism, extremism and disinformation during the orientation phase. This is especially true when such content comes from their favorite influencers. The role model function of internet stars can also become questionable in connection with advertising. For example, when popular influencers promote products, this can sometimes be done indirectly or covertly.
Talk to your child about critical behaviors and clarify stereotypes. Remain neutral and unbiased when asking questions and engage with their world of media role models. Maybe it helps if you remember your own youth and your idols. How did you feel at that time?
False reports, “fake news”, alternative facts or conspiracy myths – you hear these terms again and again when it comes to news and information on the internet. But they don’t necessarily mean the same thing. We explain the differences between the terms – and what you should look out for as a parent.
Disinformation is content that is demonstrably false or misleading – and is spread deliberately. It often appears credible at first glance because it is packaged in a story, contains individual true facts or is presented in a highly emotionalized way.
The aim of disinformation is to unsettle people, influence certain opinions or create a targeted mood – for example against individual groups or political decisions. It is often also about economic interests, for example through advertising revenue on dubious websites. Disinformation becomes particularly problematic when it undermines trust in science, the media or democratic processes. It can therefore pose a serious threat to democracy.
Especially in times of crisis, such as during the coronavirus pandemic or in connection with the war against Ukraine, disinformation plays a major role.
“Fake news” is a term that is often used in everyday life – usually as a synonym for disinformation. Literally translated, it means “fake news”.
However, the term is also deliberately used to denigrate critical reporting in serious media or to discredit political opponents.
It is therefore important to check carefully whether it really is a deliberately manipulated message – or whether the term is only being used to devalue another opinion.
Tip: When children or young people talk about “fake news”, ask what exactly they mean by this – and look at the source together.
A good introduction to the topic is the Inform” module from the Genial Digital material of the German Children’s Fund. Here, children learn in a playful way how to better assess and question information on the Internet.
False information is content that is not correct – but is passed on without intention. For example, because someone has misunderstood something or shared outdated information.
Mistakes can also occur in the media, for example in research or translation. In the past, this was sometimes called a “newspaper hoax”. It is important that such errors are corrected later.
Satire is an artistic form used to exaggerate social or political issues, for example in the heute-show, the Postillon or in memes.
Sometimes satire works with similar means as disinformation – such as exaggeration or simplification. However, it is not intended to deliberately deceive people.
The aim of satire is to criticize and make people think. Children and young people sometimes need help to classify satire correctly – talk about it together.
Propaganda means that information and messages are disseminated in a targeted manner in order to steer public opinion in a certain direction.
This can happen through language, images, music or even misinformation. Propaganda is often used in political conflicts – in the past on posters or on the radio, today also via social media and messenger services.
Conspiracy myths claim that secret groups or powers are behind major events. These stories offer simple explanations for complex relationships – without providing any scientific evidence or proof.
For example:
Such myths divide the world into “good” and “evil” – and often make certain groups responsible for everything. It becomes dangerous when they stir up hatred and mistrust or undermine faith in science and democracy.
These stories are not scientific theories, but are based on unsubstantiated claims. This is why experts deliberately refer to them as conspiracy myths or conspiracy narratives – and not as “conspiracy theories”.
Whether in social media feeds, messengers or podcasts – we are flooded with countless messages, reports and stories online every day. Sometimes it is not so easy to distinguish between truth and deception. Teaching children and young people how to recognize false information on the internet is a real challenge. This article offers practical advice on this and explains how you can talk to your child about it.
Fake news spreads particularly quickly in uncertain times. We humans are already unsettled and even experts and politicians don’t have all the answers – such as during the coronavirus crisis or wars. “Fake news” deliberately spreads rumors or even hateful reports that are intended to stir up fears and deliberately deceive us. They often offer simple explanations and can give the feeling of security. But they are not true.
These fake news items are often so cleverly crafted that they appear to be legitimate news at first glance. People who believe “fake news” share it further, so that more and more people fall for it. The problem with this is that the more often such content is clicked on, the more often it is displayed – and the more people believe it to be true. This can be problematic, especially when it comes to political posts with an extremist or populist background or when conspiracy myths are spread.
Content that can unsettle or frighten younger children in particular is also problematic. Deep fake videos in particular look deceptively real. It is therefore important to understand that not all information on the Internet is true and to know the differences between disinformation, false reports and satire.
Recognizing whether it is actually disinformation or false reports can be a tricky task. Therefore, it is helpful to follow clear steps to curb the spread of disinformation:
Source verification
Check where the message came from and who wrote it. Are the authors well-known and experts on the topic? Is it a reputable website?
Fact check
Try to verify the message with different sources. Ask yourself how up-to-date the information is and check where the figures and data mentioned come from as well as the context in which they were collected.
Checking the message form
Pay attention to the way the message is presented. Is the language serious and factual, or is emotional language and excessive capitalization used? Does the article contain catchwords such as “lying press” or similar provocative terms? Could the article be meant satirically?
Verify evidence
Make sure photos and videos match the message and are up-to-date. Pay attention to captions and whether they actually represent what is being described or are from another context.
Joint fact check
Discuss news and messages together as a family. Your child should understand that not everything on the internet can be sent via WhatsApp or comes from an AI chatbot has to be true. If you check messages together, it can gradually learn to distinguish true from false. Ask for your child’s opinion and share your own thoughts. This way, you and your child can be safer and better prepared to recognize and counteract false information on the Internet.
Here are some tips on where you can check messages and how you and your child can learn how to use them in a fun way:
Children and young people are growing up in a digital world in which they come into contact with online media on a daily basis. Clear rules and effective protective measures are essential to enable them to use the internet safely. The German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.) plays a central role here. We explain how the FSM shapes youth media protection and why it is so important for parents.
The FSM is a self-regulatory body recognized by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) in the area of youth media protection. It is committed to protecting children and young people from online content that is harmful to minors and supports digital media providers in the implementation of youth protection measures. It works closely with many other institutions in the field – in Germany and internationally.
The FSM pursues the goal of ensuring effective youth media protection in digital offerings. Its main tasks:
The FSM is part of the system of regulated self-regulation in Germany. It works closely with other self-regulatory bodies such as the USK (Entertainment Software Self-Regulation), the FSK (Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry) and the FSF (Voluntary Self-Regulation of Television). In this way, the self-regulatory bodies promote cooperation between companies, authorities and politicians for the effective protection of minors in the media.
The digital protection of minors is a dynamic field that constantly presents new challenges:
It is often difficult for parents to assess what content on the Internet is suitable for their children. The FSM offers support to ensure that youth media protection reaches families:
More information is available directly on the FSM website: www.fsm.de
Are you or your child looking for high-quality and child-friendly child-friendly online offers? Then Seitenstark just the right thing! The platform is a network of certified children’s sites that provide educationally valuable content. Your child can surf, discover and learn safely here.
Seitenstark.de is a children’s website that lists and presents a variety of child-friendly websites. The sites offer content on various topics. Whether nature and technology, music and film, art and culture or politics and religion – children will find lots of exciting content here and can learn new things in a fun way.
Many of the pages presented are linked to the site strength-seal of approval. The seal stands for high-quality, ad-free and safe internet services that are specially tailored to the needs of children. Sites with this seal offer trustworthy, verified content and protect the privacy of young users.
On Seitenstark going digital is easy and fun. In the Link-Clips places Seitenstark The mascot Starky accompanies the children as they surf the Internet and provides them with other topics in addition to the children’s pages. The mascot Starky accompanies the children while surfing and presents other topics in addition to the children’s pages, such as Children’s rights. In the category Join in! children get exciting ideas and tips for creating media themselves. Those who Games you get access to child-friendly game collections and entertaining analog and digital game tips. Under the tab Fit on the Internet the character Charlie provides important information about safety on the Internet. Your child will learn more about the Internet in general, about Fake news and data protection and answers to frequently asked questions.
The Seitenstark e. V. association forms the organizational basis of the open Seitenstark-network. As a non-profit organization and recognized sponsor of independent youth welfare, the association is committed to high-quality and safe children’s media. Its members come from the fields of children’s media, media education and educational work. All information about the association, the seal of approval and tips on media education can be found in the Area for parents and teachers.
When you gradually release your child more independently into the world of the Internet, he or she should already have learned a few rules and have safe places to go to find offers suitable for children. Therefore Seitenstark a great opportunity.
The website is divided into a children’s section and a section for parents and teachers. You can let your child surf alone in the children’s area with a clear conscience, which will give them self-confidence and help them develop their skills. Media competence promotes. However, you should always bear in mind that the discussed media usage times are adhered to and you remain in contact with your child.
Make use of Seitenstark as a contact point for discovering new topics together and imparting knowledge in a playful way. With Seitenstark children can use the Internet safely and sensibly – a great opportunity for you as parents to accompany your child in their digital learning. And you can also find out more yourself on the site.
“Just one more round!” or “Leon can watch TV much longer!” – Many parents are familiar with phrases like these. But how much media time is actually okay? Which media is suitable for my child? And at what age does it make sense for them to have their own smartphone? Fixed rules can help to find answers to these questions. However, they can also lead to conflicts. We have a few tips and background information on setting media rules in the family.
Rules are not there to enforce the will of parents, but to provide structure and guidance. They help to promote your child’s media skills and reduce the risk of problems caused by inappropriate use of media. As parents, you have the responsibility to combine the fun of media with a conscious approach. You are often better at assessing dangers than your child.
It is important that your child understands the rules and can follow them. It is best to develop the rules together with your child. This will make your child realize that their opinion counts and it will be easier for them to accept the rules. Explain to your child why certain rules are important and why they should be followed. If rules are not clearly formulated or are interpreted differently, your child will find it difficult to follow them. Another crucial point is that you as parents are role models – this means that you should follow the same rules yourself.
Which rules make sense depends on the age of your child and on how you and your child generally deal with media. This is not the same in every family.
The younger your child is, the more you should keep an eye on his or her media use. Young children need close supervision and should not spend too much time with media. Choose age-appropriate content, limit the duration of use and decide on suitable devices. Even if your child is still small, you can explain to them why certain content or times are chosen. Depending on their stage of development, children of kindergarten age can also be involved in simple decisions. From elementary school age, your child gets many new impressions and influences. They still need a lot of guidance, which is why clear, jointly developed rules are very important. You can now better talk to your child about content and let him or her have a say. This way, your child feels taken seriously and learns to take responsibility. From secondary school and adolescence onwards, you should trust your child to be more independent and support them in using media in an increasingly self-determined and self-regulated way. Young people usually approach digital media openly, but they are often not yet able to properly assess the risks. That’s why you are still important as a guide and contact person!
The following applies to all age groups: media usage rules must be sensible and flexible.
To help your child understand how to use media, it makes sense to draw up the rules together – for example in the form of a media usage contract. Such a contract makes the rules transparent and comprehensible for everyone. Exceptions can also be formulated. If your child can help shape the rules themselves, it will be easier for them to stick to them. Check regularly whether the rules still make sense or need to be adjusted if necessary.
Just as important as media-related rules are “media-free” rules – such as not using smartphones during a family meal or conversation. Such rules promote interpersonal communication and strengthen the family bond.
A frequent topic is the question: How much media time is healthy? When is it too much? The answer depends very much on the age and individual needs of your child. The rule of thumb is: the younger, the less!
One approach to regulating media time in everyday life is the use of media vouchers. These can help children of primary school age and above to independently allocate a weekly budget of media time. This gives your child responsibility for their media use without you having to constantly intervene.
It is important that your child has a varied daily routine, uses media in different ways, but also has media-free experiences.
Not only the use of media, but also the choice of content should be part of the family rules. Make sure that media content is age-appropriate and corresponds to your child’s interests. In addition to television and apps, media consumption also includes radio plays, books and music. It makes sense to include these in the rules as well.
Take into account that the content of media use varies greatly, as do the motives and needs of use. A game for mere entertainment may be weighted differently than learning with media. Discuss qualitative differences with your child. Be sure to include age-appropriate content as well.
The question of the right age for the first smartphone concerns many parents. If necessary, talk to the parents of your child’s friends and consider whether certain rules can apply to everyone.
Another important topic is the security settings for devices and apps. Many smartphones and tablets now offer the option of controlling access to certain content and limiting its use. These should always be discussed with your child. Settings such as screen time limits, age ratings and app filters can help to control media use.
However, these technical aids are no substitute for parental guidance. They should also not be used purely for control. Your child needs trust and the opportunity to gradually take responsibility for their own media use. Explanations from you and conversations about media make a significant contribution to your child learning how to use media competently.
Rules may vary depending on the child’s age and stage of development. On the one hand, stay consistent, otherwise they will not serve their purpose. At the same time, if possible, do not use the rules as a punishment or reward.
Instagram remains one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among young people. The app makes it possible to share photos and videos, create stories and interact with friends and influencers.
Instagram, or Insta for short, is more than just a picture platform. Above your own feed (accessible in the app via the house icon), there are stories and live streams from users you follow. These disappear after 24 hours, but can be saved as a highlight by the person who posted the story. The feed also shows new photos and videos from subscribed channels and people.
Users can find a wide variety of content on Insta: Posts from stars, brands and challenges through to personal profiles of friends. They can react to them with likes and comments or save them for themselves.
You can edit your own posts with filters, emojis and fonts directly in the app. Content is sorted by topic using hashtags. Reels (short TikTok-style videos) can be accessed via the video icon.
At the end of 2023, Meta also launched the Threads social media app in Germany. This is linked to Instagram.
Since December 2024, young people up to the age of 16 have automatically been given so-called teen accounts with additional protective functions such as restricted contact options and stricter content filters: notifications are muted between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and automatic replies are sent to direct messages. After 60 minutes of use per day, teenagers receive a notification asking them to leave the app. Accounts of children and young people under the age of 18 are automatically set to private after creation. However, this can be changed in the settings afterwards and the profile can be set to public. All these default settings can only be adjusted or deactivated with the consent of the parents in the so-called parental supervision in the Family Center.
Data protection: Instagram’s privacy policy allows the sharing of user data with other services of the parent company Meta and with third parties. The app allows cross-posting. This means that a photo can also be shared on Facebook with one click. If you have an account there, you should check the settings carefully when publishing posts.
Location sharing: Instagram can determine the location of users via the posts they post. Private accounts prevent this. Access to the location can also be deactivated in the app and in the app permissions. This means that Instagram cannot view the location of public accounts either. However, a location can be added to each posted image manually afterwards.
Paid content: Paid content is created when children and young people not only follow an account, but also subscribe to it. The monthly price is set by the creators themselves and the subscription can usually be canceled on a monthly basis. Subscribers have access to exclusive content such as images, reels and stories. If you want to subscribe to an account, you will find the “Subscribe” button next to “Follow”/”Followed” and “Messages” on your profile. A single click on this does not yet lead to a subscription, which must be confirmed with further clicks.
Inappropriate content: Certain content can be problematic for young people, such as erotic images, dangerous challenges, disinformation or advertising. Influencer business models play a special role here, which young people do not always recognize.
Communication risks: Functions such as chats and comments harbor communication risks such as being contacted by strangers, hate speech or cyberbullying.
Despite the official minimum age of 13, there is no effective age check. Until your child is 18 years old, you must consent to its use. There are extensive usage and setting options. If your child is under the age of 13, they can use Instagram if you manage the account. This must be included in the profile description. At Handysektor you can read a short version of the terms of use and download a flyer with the most important safety information about Instagram for young people.
Parents can link their account to that of their child in the “Parental supervision”. We present all the setting options in this article. You can find out how Instagram wants to make the app safer for young people directly on the Instagram website.
Consider together with your child at what age and according to what rules they are allowed to use Instagram. Check the app settings together so that your child can use Instagram as safely as possible. Not all photos must or may be shared with everyone or only with friends.
Talk to your child about communication risks. Show your child how they can block or report other users and explain to them when these functions are useful – for example, if someone insults your child in the comments. Your child should not accept requests from strangers and should use their own data, such as their location , sparingly.
Educate your child about risks such as harmful content, hate speech, disinformation and political opinion making. Also talk about critical behavior of influencers and stay in conversation with your child about one-sided role models and clichés. Stay interested and regularly ask who your child follows on Instagram and who follows them. It is important that your child knows that they can always talk to you if they have an unpleasant experience on the platform.
The Internet is full of photos and videos. Images are often seen as proof of the truth of a report. However, photos and videos can also be manipulated or even faked. Deep fakes are just such counterfeits. They lead to the fact that disinformation can be spread even better, because they look very convincing.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, sound or video recordings can be falsified or even completely recreated. Developers of deep fakes can, for example, put any statement in a person’s mouth or make them do things that they did not do in real life. The software analyzes recordings of a person and “learns” their facial expressions and gestures. After that, any sentences can be spoken and the recording manipulated to make it look as if the person said it themselves.
The three most common forms of deep fakes:
Such software can now be downloaded free of charge from the Internet. There are even relatively easy-to-use apps so that almost anyone can create and distribute deep fakes. As technology is constantly improving, counterfeits are becoming increasingly difficult to detect.
Many young people encounter deep fakes in the form of humorous clips or parodies. If they fall for funny deep fakes, this is harmless in many cases. If the trick is explained afterwards, as in the video by a famous German YouTuber, it can even be an educational experience.
It becomes problematic when young people allow themselves to be manipulated by deep fakes or are targeted themselves. In other words, when a deep fake is created that exposes them. This can put a heavy burden on those affected and lead to serious consequences.
Fake videos are dangerous because they look so convincing. Children and young people in particular must first learn to question content critically.
Although the use of third-party images is generally regulated by the right to one’s own image, deep fakes have long been a legal gray area. The Federal Council has been dealing with the issue since July 2024. The new law on the “violation of personal rights through digital falsification” provides for penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment, and up to five years in serious cases. The German government is also planning programs to improve the detection and regulation of deep fakes.
Deep fakes are a rapidly growing phenomenon. While it’s not always easy to understand the technical details, it’s important that you talk to your child about these issues. Here are a few tips:
No longer a child, but not yet an adult: young people are in an exciting phase. They are forming their identity and opinions, looking for their place in the world and people they feel comfortable with. They ask a lot of questions, are curious and open to many things. This opens up opportunities for new ideas – but can also be a gateway for extremist world views.
Extremism comes in many forms – be it right-wing or left-wing extremism, religious extremism or in the form of conspiracy myths. What all these forms have in common is that they work with simple but misleading answers that can only be exposed as false at second glance, that they present people with supposed scapegoats for every problem and that they stir up hatred.
Extremists try to reach young people via online channels with highly simplified content and short statements. They rely on current online trends such as entertaining videos and images, post memes and seemingly funny pictures or spread false reports to spread their messages in an inconspicuous and memorable way. They are active on all major networks – be it YouTube, WhatsApp or Facebook.
TikTok in particular is a preferred medium. It is used by more than half of all 12 to 19-year-olds and offers an enormous reach thanks to its algorithm. By posting catchy and seemingly harmless clips, extremists ensure that their content is flushed into many channels by the algorithm – and then benefit from the fact that content on the network spreads like snowballs as soon as users interact with it. The young people who watch and share the clips are often unaware at first that they are supporting extremist ideas because the messages are initially very hidden and subtly incorporated into seemingly harmless songs or clips. These videos are often shared before young people realize their problematic origin.
Networks such as Discord, which are actually used for gaming, are also often used by extremists. They join gaming groups here, establish contact via a shared game and then spread their ideology. To do this, they often use images or well-known stories from games to reinterpret them for their own message. For young people, the line between the actual game and the extremist message can quickly become blurred.
Right-wing extremists and Islamists are particularly active on the internet. If their propaganda is clearly recognizable, it can usually be quickly deleted by the platform operators. This is why extremists like to switch to lesser-known and less strictly controlled online services such as the Russian platform vk.com after their first contact. A large part of the communication is not even visible to the public, but takes place in closed groups, e.g. on Telegram or Facebook. Young people who have been contacted via public portals are lured there – and that’s where they encounter the real, sometimes brutal or disturbing propaganda.
Both right-wing extremists and Islamists like to see themselves as victims. They pretend to be oppressed by their own or other states. Right-wing extremists in Germany often speak of the so-called “lying press”. They accuse the media of being controlled by the government, which is why extreme right-wing opinions have no voice. Both groups also express criticism of capitalism. This is particularly dangerous. Because aspects of the criticism are entirely justified and are shared by many young people. Extremists use this to win them over to their cause. Recently, anti-Semitic (i.e. anti-Jewish) conspiracy myths have increasingly been spread again from both camps. These conspiracy myths are now also being used by musicians who are popular with young people – for example in some songs by the German rapper Kollegah.
It is therefore particularly important that you talk to your child about what is on their mind. Which topics are particularly hotly debated among friends? What images and videos do they look at and share? Also address the goals that certain groups pursue when they post content with extreme political statements online.
Make your child aware that anyone can express their opinion online – even people with bad intentions. That’s why you can’t just trust all content, you have to question it. On knowyourmeme.com, you can look up well-known memes including their history (unfortunately, the site is only available in English). Mimikama.at is a good place to check the veracity of messages from social networks such as Facebook.
If you or your child come across obviously extremist content, you can report it directly to the platform operators. With large services such as Facebook and YouTube, this can be done with just a few clicks. In general, you can also use the Internet Complaint Center. In particularly serious cases, it may make sense to contact the police directly. In most federal states, this can now be done online via a so-called Internet watch.
You should also use technical parental control settings. These can help to restrict, block or mute contact from strangers. Although they do not offer complete protection against extremist content, they can provide additional protection for your child. A helpful platform for this is medien-kindersicher.de, which offers instructions for parental control settings specifically for various networks, including Discord.
There are many good offers to strengthen young people against extremism:
Too old for the children’s program, but still too young for the social media world? There is a time when your child doesn’t really know his place. It’s somewhere between childhood and adolescence. This affects many of the so-called “pre-teens”, the approximately 9-12 year olds. They are in a transition phase, which is also reflected in their media usage.
For younger children, there are many age-appropriate offerings such as children’s apps, radio plays and children’s programs. As children get older, they are often no longer so interested in these – and turn directly to the adult world of media. The jump is quite big and the offer can still partly overwhelm your child.
At the onset of puberty, your child is on the cusp of becoming an adolescent. In some things it still behaves childlike, in others it already wants to separate itself from you. It is increasingly oriented to elders and to people, trends and ideas outside the family. As a result, there is less and less interest in children’s media.
During this phase, many children get their first smartphone and immerse themselves more and more independently in the world of online media. They have their first experiences in online games and on social media platforms. They follow stars such as influencers and streamers, interact with other users and develop their own identity. Pre-teens often lack an understanding of how to handle their own data or challenges such as communication risks online.
Whether your child still wants to watch children’s programs or is already interested in computer games, social media or TV shows for older children – support your child according to their stage of development and give them the time they need.
Gradually, you should relinquish control and support your child in being able to use media independently, safely and responsibly. Although your child has already gained some experience, he or she will still approach many things with an open mind, which means that they can easily come into contact with content that is harmful to minors online. Your child’s curiosity and desire to increasingly set themselves apart from adults will also lead them to seek out provocative content. Nevertheless, as parents, you still have an important role to play in providing guidance during the transition phase. Always talk to your child and ask about their media experiences.
Finding offers for pre-teens is not that easy and not every child will be interested. For computer games and films, there are age ratings from the Voluntary Self-Regulation Body. They indicate whether the content is unproblematic for development from a certain age. If you take a closer look, there are media offerings tailored to children in the transition phase both in traditional media and online.
Here are a few recommendations:
You should also allow your child to take advantage of offerings that are not specifically for children. Find out about programs and content in advance. When you watch a movie, play a game or surf the Internet together as a family, your child has the opportunity to ask questions and you can see how he or she copes with certain content.
