Just as the Highway Code lays down rules for safe traffic, the Youth Protection Act ensures that children and young people are protected in the media world. Especially in a digitalized society, it is more important than ever to offer young people guidance and protection.
The Youth Protection Act(JuSchG) regulates, among other things, how media must be designed today so that children and young people are not exposed to any dangers when using it. The comprehensively modernized version, which has been in force since May 2021, focuses more strongly on digital services. While previous versions focused primarily on so-called carrier media such as video cassettes and DVDs, CR-ROMs or audio carriers, the updated law also takes into account the challenges of the internet. Media providers must comply with this, otherwise they face penalties. However, this is not so easy because it is a German law and the Internet knows no national borders. However, if the providers of certain services are based in Germany, they must follow these rules. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which has provided uniform rules for digital service providers across Europe since the beginning of 2024, brings additional pressure.
The Youth Protection Act stipulates the age at which young people may have access to certain media – films, programs and online content. In doing so, it draws on the age ratings of the self-regulatory bodies. Providers are obliged to make default settings that protect children and young people in particular from interaction risks such as bullying, sexualized speech(cybergrooming), hate speech, tracking and cost traps.
Many online services and apps therefore have integrated parental control settings, for example TikTok and Instagram. They carry out precise checks on how old users are or even use video procedures to prove their identity. Nevertheless, it is difficult to implement this rule: It is almost impossible to find out for sure whether the answer is really correct by simply asking the user’s age.
The law also provides for reliable, uniform age ratings for games and films that are used online. In addition, the classification is no longer based solely on content, but also on possible interaction risks such as cybergrooming and cost traps.
Previously, the familiar age ratings of the USK and FSK only applied to games and films that were available on so-called carrier media (such as CD-ROMs or video cassettes). Online providers did not have to provide any age information.
Children and young people should be able to easily seek help and complain if they feel threatened or harassed while using media.
The new Federal Agency for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Media is to ensure that these regulations are actually enforced. Organizations such as the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter e.V. have online complaints offices to which young media users and adults can turn to report illegal content or content harmful to minors.
Since 2024, there have also been new regulations throughout Europe for offers that are particularly aimed at children and young people:
Platforms must explain their terms and conditions (terms and conditions of use) in such a way that young users can also understand them well.
The long, hard-to-read texts that are often carelessly clicked away when registering must therefore be replaced by new, comprehensible texts. This should enable children and young people to really understand what they are getting into when they sign up.
Privacy, security and protection of minors should be improved: Providers of apps or programs should take measures to protect their users as well as possible from dangers such as fraud, bullying or hate speech.
Unfortunately, the exact measures have not yet been defined and there are few exemplary solutions. However, the European Commission can issue guidelines to support providers in implementing the precautionary measures.
On platforms such as Tiktok or Instagram, young users create profiles that also contain private information. According to current regulations, however, children and young people may no longer be shown personalized advertising based on this information.
The platform operators must also conscientiously ask the age of the users for this – because children and young people are even less able to see through the fact that personalized advertising is being targeted at them, which is why they need even greater protection than adults.
The repeated revisions of the Youth Protection Act are important in order to adapt legal regulations to the media reality of children and young people. The law can be an important guide for you as parents and offers protection to a certain extent. At least if the providers comply with the obligations set out in the law. Unfortunately, it cannot be ensured that this is always the case. In addition, a frame does not fit each child individually. That is why you should accompany your child very closely in his or her media use, especially in the younger years. The older your child gets, the more freedom they need. Always stay in touch about his media use. This is the only way you can help if, despite protective measures, it has unpleasant experiences on the net or does not understand something.
The smell of cookies, shopping stress, shining children’s eyes: the holidays are approaching and digital devices and games are on the wish lists of many children and young people. What should parents consider before and after giving a gift? Between the years and during the vacations, there is also time for shared family media experiences. How can this be designed in a safe, age-appropriate and even creative way? In this article, we give you an overview of offers from the Elternguide.online partner network.
The Christmas vacations can be long, especially when the weather outside doesn’t really invite you to play. You probably have devices such as smartphones, tablets, cameras or a laptop lying around at home. How about you and your child simply getting started, taking photos or filming yourselves, trying out new creative apps and actively organizing media time? It’s great fun and your child will also learn something about media skills.
On the website kinder.jff.de there are suggestions for simple media projects that children aged 6 and over can do on their own or from the age of 3 with support from you as parents at home. This is helped by child-friendly video instructions in which the implementation of the media projects is shown step by step. How about a photo memory with Christmas tree decorations or an audio story about Christmas traditions?
For young photo fans between the ages of 8 and 12, the knipsclub offers a safe environment in which they can try out their skills in a closed and pedagogically supervised photo community and exchange photos with each other. On the website you will find creative photo tips, for example on painting with light. A real eye-catcher, especially on New Year’s Eve!
You are probably familiar with challenges from social media, e.g. dance challenges on TikTok. Children and young people love to take on challenges. Challenges don’t necessarily only have to take place on the Internet, you can also play them at home with your family! Why not try out the top photo challenge, the clip challenge or the re-enactment challenge? We have made a few suggestions in our parents’ guide article. You can find more Advent challenges on the website of the JFF project webhelm.de.
Children have many questions and learn early on that their questions will be answered on the Internet. How is Christmas celebrated in other countries? What craft tips and baking recipes are there for Christmas? The children’s search engine fragFINN offers children access to 3,500 verified websites, including around 400 children’s sites. Primary school children can gain their first Internet experience here in a protected surfing room and learn how to use search engines and search results. In the fragFINN Advent calendar, children can open a little door every day, behind which there are links to other children’s sites with a wide range of information and offers suitable for the winter season.
You can find more playful learning pages in this parents’ guide article.
Your child will probably also enjoy watching videos. If you are still looking for suitable films, series or YouTube clips, take a look at FLIMMO and have a look.
In addition to age information and educational recommendations for all formats from TV, streaming, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, you will find winter movie tips from the Grüffelokind to the Grinch and the Polar Express under the special “Highlights in Advent”. A TV evening together can be a really nice family experience, especially when it’s as cold and dark outside as it is during the winter vacations. In this article, FLIMMO explains what you need to bear in mind when adding media to your wish list.
Parents must decide individually when their child is ready for their first smartphone, depending on their level of development and experience. After all, a smartphone theoretically opens up the whole world of the Internet to your child, with all its opportunities and risks. klicksafe offers extensive information for parents. Use the smartphone readiness checklist to see whether a smartphone is ready for the Christmas tree. Has the decision been positive? Then find out about technical setting options for Android and iOS and watch the instructions in the form of explanatory videos. You can find all information material from klicksafe in this topic special.
Would you like to prepare your child for the first smartphone under the Christmas tree? Child-friendly information on the first smartphone is available in the children’s magazine Genial Digital from the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk. The fragFINN app gives your child a protected surfing space on their first smartphone and gives them access to quality, positive content.
Are you considering buying a smartwatch as an alternative? Then take a look at this topic from klicksafe. Please note: technical protective measures are no substitute for family discussions and media rules. Stay in contact with your child and accompany them as they take their first steps with a smartwatch or smartphone.
In addition to discussions and media rules, technical youth media protection is an important component of media education. Use the settings for screen time and Digital Wellbeing settings on smartphones to set time limits for the entire device or for different apps and to filter content. The youth protection program JusProg offers a precise filter option for websites and safe default settings for mobile devices and laptops. Google Family Links and YouTube Kids offer in the world of the internet giant Google offer the opportunity to make media experiences safer for your child. Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok also offer safety features and options for parental guidance. Streaming with the family can be a fun activity during the vacations. Almost all streaming services have certified offers for the protection of minors. Use your own child profiles and the parental control function with the PIN. Many of the youth protection programs have been approved by the expert commission of the Voluntary Self-Regulation of Multimedia Service Providers (FSM). You can find out more about technical solutions for the protection of minors in the media on the FSM website.
Detailed instructions for all devices can be found on the website medien-kindersicher.de.
Which games should I give my child for Christmas? Are games okay for preschoolers? In the family section of the USK website and via the USK brochures, you will find all the information you need on the USK’s age ratings, the additional information and how to deal with the subject of games in the family.
The USK mark indicates the age at which a game does not cause any developmental impairments. The additional information such as “fantasy violence” or “pressure to act” gives parents a good indication of whether a game is suitable for their own child. Educational assessments of games can be found at the NRW games guide. Descriptions of popular games like Fortnite, Minecraft or Roblox are available on Elternguide.online. The USK lexicon explains the most important terms, devices and genres.
Would you like to make your child happy with a game for Christmas? Find out about the distribution channels for games and technical precautionary measures. Various settings for the protection of minors can be made on consoles as well as in game stores and the games themselves. Play together with your child and ask them interesting questions about their favorite games.
The team at Elternguide.online wishes you and your family a wonderful Christmas season and lots of fun using media safely and creatively!
Whether chatbots like My AI or digital assistants like Alexa – Artificial intelligence has long since found its way into everyday family life. This makes people curious and encourages them to try it out for themselves. In this article, we show you a few ways in which children and young people can use AI tools creatively.
AI picture generators allow your child to give free rein to their creativity and create exciting works of art. For example, they can create pictures in the style of different art movements such as Impressionism or Pop Art or be inspired by famous artists. Leonardo.AI offers one way of doing this. The tool is available as an app for Android and iOS or can be used directly in the internet browser. In the free version, 150 tokens (a type of digital currency) are available per day, which can be used to generate at least 10 images. Your child can also upload their own pictures and videos and edit them in the style of famous artists. However, please pay attention to your child’s data protection and privacy. Leonardo AI has a USK rating from the age of 12.
Further information: https://leonardo.ai/
From birthday songs to hip-hop songs – with the Suno tool, your child can generate a variety of songs from instruments and vocals. The program creates songs based on input from instructions (called prompts). For example: “Create a cheerful pop song about 4b’s hiking day in the city forest”. Up to ten songs can be generated every day, with each prompt your child receives two song suggestions. They can listen to these directly and download them if necessary. Your child can either write the lyrics themselves or have them generated automatically by the program. The resulting songs may be used for non-commercial purposes. Free registration is required for use, for example with a Google-account is required. According to the terms and conditions, the tool may be used from the age of 13, the USK age rating with regard to the protection of minors is “from 12 years”. Suno is available as an app for Android and iOS as well as a browser application.
Further information: https://suno.com/
It’s raining outside and all the activities at home seem to have been exhausted? How about a special coloring activity? With ChatGPT you can not only support schoolwork, but also create coloring pages according to your child’s wishes. To do this, your child enters the command for how the picture should look in the chat window and receives a generated picture from the chatbot. ChatGPT has a USK rating from the age of 0 and can be used from the age of 13 with the consent of a parent or guardian. We explain exactly how the tool works and what you should bear in mind in this article: https://www.elternguide.online/chatgpt/
With the low-threshold design program Canva, your child can get creative with a variety of AI tools and editing functions. The program can be used either via the website or via the Canva app for Android and iOS. It’s perfect for creating your own comics or photo stories. Here’s how it works:
Registration is required to work with Canva. According to the terms and conditions, the tool is only permitted for children up to the age of 13 with parental consent, the USK age rating is “0 years and older”. The tool is free of charge, additional content can be unlocked with a paid subscription.
Further information: https://canva.com
If your child wants to use creative AI tools, you as a parent should pay attention to the following points:
FSK, USK, PEGI, FSF and FSM – these are all abbreviations for institutions for the protection of minors in the media, so-called self-regulatory bodies. Parents come across their logos and age ratings everywhere: in app stores, on streaming services, on DVDs or in TV programs. We explain who or what exactly is behind them.
The Youth Protection Act and the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media stipulate that media must not endanger the development of children and young people – for example through violence or other critical content. Age limits such as 0, 6, 12, 16 or 18 years help to classify content accordingly.
The audit is carried out by various self-regulatory bodies:
Tip: FSK ratings help to assess whether content is generally approved for young people. They are not a recommendation and do not help you decide whether your child can process the content emotionally. Platforms such as FLIMMO offer additional educational recommendations.
Tip: Platforms such as Spieleratgeber NRW rate apps not only according to age, but also according to their educational value.
Tip: Check age ratings and discuss with your child what content is appropriate.
The age ratings are a measure for the protection of minors. The aim is not to impair the development of children and young people, for example by depicting violence or sexual acts. The age ratings are binding. An 18+ game may not be sold to younger children and films that are rated 12+ may not be seen in cinemas by younger children without an accompanying adult.
Things are a little different within your own four walls: the state does not generally regulate what media content your child is allowed to watch at home. You may make media content accessible to your child that is not approved for their age. However, the duty to educate must not be violated in the process. You need to assess how your child handles certain content and whether he or she can process it. The age ratings provide a good orientation! FSK, USK and FSF ratings provide no information as to whether children already understand the content and whether it is recommended for a certain age from an educational point of view. However, the individual justifications of classified films, series and games can be read on the websites of the self-regulatory bodies. You should also take a look at educational recommendations, such as the NRW games guide and spielbar.de for games and the FLIMMO website for films, series and TV programs.
With their child’s first smartphone, parents are often looking for solutions to keep media use safe. Kidgonet is a parental control app that aims to impress with its ease of use and special focus on data protection. We took a closer look at the app.
When children get their first smartphone, parents often have a lot of questions: How much use is sensible? How can we set and monitor usage times together? How can I protect my child and at the same time support them in using their smartphone sensibly? Parental control apps or programs often come into play here. Offers such as Google Family Link, JusProg or Salfeld parental controls promise parents an overview and control over their child’s media usage times. Kidgonet also aims to make it easier for parents and children to start using media independently. The app is available as a subscription – families pay between €29.64 and €39.48 per year, depending on the duration of the contract. Parents can use the app to set and monitor their child’s device usage: Parents themselves register very easily in the Kidgonet parent portal and set how long their child is allowed to use media and set “media breaks”. In the parent portal, they can also see how much time their child has already used. The children have their own app on their smartphone, which uses a traffic light system to display their own time usage. The app can add up screen time from different devices so that the screen time can also be set for several devices.
The special feature: Kidgonet only transmits pure times to parents. It is not possible to see what content the child is using. And the provider itself also promises not to forward or store any data. All of this is intended to protect children’s data and privacy. And by encouraging parents to talk to their children about the content instead of simply deactivating apps.
In order to still offer content protection, Kidgonet claims to have integrated an age-appropriate filter. The criteria used for filtering are not described in detail. For children, on the other hand, the app has an emergency button and a direct link to youth counseling services. The service is suitable for children from primary school age.
As with all technical usage limits, it should always be clear when using Kidgonet that a mere time limit is no substitute for media education. Although the duration of media use can be controlled by the app, the content remains unaffected. Parents should not be lulled into a sense of security and should continue to pay attention to their child’s media use.
Even the integrated filter should not be seen as a substitute for your own caution when dealing with content. No filter is 100 percent safe. The ultimate responsibility for assessing content remains with the children or parents themselves.
It is also important that set times, media breaks etc. are well discussed with the children and, if possible, determined together. If children feel patronized here without being asked, the supposed protection can quickly backfire – for example, if the children find other ways to get media time. Be it with friends or via other devices.
In principle, the restriction of privacy must always be treated sensitively.
Kidgonet sees itself as support in limiting usage times. The app should therefore not be seen as a substitute for media education and communication about content. The creators emphasize in their “Parents’ Guide”: ” Parents’ role model function, shared media use and the involvement of children in decision-making are key elements in creating a healthy digital environment.”
Kidgonet is purely a time limiter – and not an educational aid in terms of content. The app can be used to set and limit media times. Of course, such media times work best if they are discussed together in the family and, if necessary, negotiated by means of a compromise so that the children also agree to their time budget.
It is at least as important to accompany your child in terms of content when using media. Regardless of how long or short your child uses their smartphone or tablet, keep talking about which programs and content they use, what questions or problems they have and how they are doing. This is the only way your child can learn to assess offers, make sensible choices and deal well with difficulties. This media education cannot replace technical limitations.
Regularly adapt the settings and arrangements to the age and needs of your child. As your child becomes more independent, the restrictions should be relaxed.
On the website of the public children’s media service KiKA, children can find lots of videos of their favorite series and films. There are also games, craft ideas and do-it-yourself experiments.
KiKA is the children’s channel of ARD and ZDF. On the website, you can watch documentaries, reports, news, animated and real series, films and shows from the children’s media range or follow the live program.
Online, however, there is more to discover on KiKA than the popular children’s series and formats. Various online games such as picture puzzles, games of skill or adventure and quiz games offer further entertainment. In the do-it-yourself section, children can find coloring pictures, craft ideas, recipes and experiments to get creative and active at home.
The KUMMERKASTEN also offers children the opportunity to find out about topics such as feelings, friendships and family, as well as problems such as cyberbullying or school stress in short videos. The KUMMERKASTEN primarily deals with challenges and problems during puberty and aims to provide support for adolescents.
Children can also contact the KUMMERKASTEN team at Diakonie if they have any problems or concerns: At Ask Sabine! children can find out how this works and can use a link to go directly to the advice page for children and young people of the Diakonisches Werk Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz e. V., with which KiKA and KUMMERKASTEN cooperate. Children and young people can get advice here via chat or email. Other offers of help such as the Nummer gegen Kummer, which offers telephone counseling, are also presented.
KiKA offers content for children between the ages of 3 and 13. However, not all content is recommended for the youngest children. Some content, for example the news program logo!, is only recommended from the age of 9. But even if there are suitable age recommendations, the following applies: watch the content together with your child and observe how your child reacts to the content. In a separate section for parents, educators can find information about the content and age recommendations for the respective programs. There you will also find additional material for the programs, such as colouring pictures or craft instructions for children. Also agree on times and duration of media use together. Media rituals in the family or a joint media usage contract can be helpful here.
This article is part of the “Parents’ tips on children’s participation platforms” project, which is part of the “Child-friendly digital services and orientation measures” program of the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ) and realised by JFF – Institute for Media Education in Research and Practice and the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.).
The preparations for the holidays are drawing ever closer, and smartphones, digital devices and games are on the wish lists of many children and young people. What should parents consider before and after giving a gift? We explain how you can use technical solutions to protect your child from negative online experiences and how you can use parental control programs, apps for child protection or settings options for services and platforms to support their media education.
Between the years and during the vacations, there is also time for shared family media experiences. We have recommendations and tips on how you can organize safe, age-appropriate and even creative media time for children and young people.
Be there live and ask your questions to our experts – we will give answers and be available for exchange! The event will be held in German.
Date: 12.12.2024 | Time: 5 to 6 pm
Speakers: Maria Wiesner (fragFINN), Lidia de Reese and Jo Schuler (FSM)
Platform: The virtual parents’ evening is realized via the tool “Zoom”.
Privacy Notice: Zoom is a service of Zoom Video Communications Inc. which is based in the USA. We use Zoom via the German operator easymeet24. easymeet24 ‘s server is located in Europe. Furthermore, we have selected the configurations with the highest data and security protection within the Zoom service.
Please also take note of our privacy policy.
Registration:
The Kritzel Klub website is all about painting, drawing and creative experimentation. Children can get started directly on the virtual white paper and discover numerous tools without having to register.
At kritzel-klub.de, children can try out various digital pens, brushes and tools and create pictures online without much preparation. The website is designed with the help of symbols so that even children who are not yet able to read well can find their way around and start drawing straight away.
Various methods are also available to stimulate creative painting and drawing processes. For example, children can try out painting according to sounds or words or add their own drawings to pictures. Various drawing and painting techniques are also explained in four film clips. Children can then try out what they have learned by drawing with pen and paper.
The artworks can then be saved and printed out.
At Kritzel Klub, even younger children can easily get creative online and try out how to use digital devices at the same time. While creating and designing online, it’s easy to forget the time. Think about this together with your child: How would you like to organize media use in the family, how much screen time is ok? At the same time, your child may also be unhappy if something doesn’t work or look the way you want it to. Accompany your child in their use or create a digital work of art together.
This article is part of the “Parents’ tips on children’s participation platforms” project, which is part of the “Child-friendly digital services and orientation measures” program of the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ) and realised by JFF – Institute for Media Education in Research and Practice and the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.).
Children can find answers to many questions from the world of religions at religionen-entdecken.de. They can ask questions themselves, watch films, browse the encyclopedia and find exciting books and excursion tips.
Religionen-entdecken.de is a website for children where they can learn a lot about different religions, their practices and rituals.
The robot Auxie accompanies children through the program. There is a lot to learn about the following religions: Alevism, Bahai, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jesus, Judaism and Sikhism. They can also browse for information and terms in the lexicon. Above all, however, they can also become active themselves: Children can take part in surveys, add places to the world map of religions and ask their own questions about the religions as well as search for answers in the questions that have already been answered. The questions are answered in a knowledgeable and child-friendly way. Games and quizzes also provide fun, and there are also various films to discover. In addition to tips for excursions and books, the Tips section contains lots of ideas for do-it-yourself activities such as recipes from the various religions.
The site aims to encourage people to engage with the various religions, learn more about them and thus reduce prejudices with regard to the unknown and promote respectful interaction with one another.
Religionen-entdecken.de is a service of the Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik (GEP). The project works closely with the House of World Religions. They state that the texts are created in collaboration with experts from the respective religion
The offer is aimed at children aged 8 to 13. Nevertheless, it is always advisable to first look at children’s offers together with the children and to accompany their use. Talk to your child about their experiences and be open to their questions.
This article is part of the “Parents’ tips on children’s participation platforms” project, which is part of the “Child-friendly digital services and orientation measures” program of the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ) and realised by JFF – Institute for Media Education in Research and Practice and the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.).
Solve audio puzzles, set a story to music yourself or put together a radio play – it’s all possible on AUDIYOUkids! Children will find lots of stories to listen to and join in with, e.g. an audio walk or a karaoke game. Parents will find instructions and tips to make sure everything goes well.
AUDIYOUkids invites children into a world of sounds and listening. The website is divided into four different areas. On the “audio walk”, children can choose between different worlds such as “Coast” or “Haunted castle” and discover the places with their ears. They choose the route themselves with the help of sounds, can follow it with puzzle cards to print out and see whether they have discovered all the sounds.
With “Cartoons”, children can help a magician perform magic. The result can be saved and downloaded with microphone access. With the help of parents, even kindergarten children can try their hand here.
In the “Karaoke” section, children can take part in the production of a radio play and play a role. This also requires a computer with a microphone, otherwise the text passages can only be spoken but not recorded. The results can also be downloaded at the end.
AUDIYOUkids states on its website that the data is strictly protected in terms of data protection and will not be made accessible to others. Registration is not necessary.
The “Cartoon” and “Karaoke” sections are also suitable for younger primary school children with supervision, while the “Your audio projects” section is more complex but all the more creative. Here, children will find a child-friendly introduction to producing their own radio plays. In addition to a computer and microphone, a program for editing audio tracks is a technical requirement. The website recommends the free Audacity program to set up a small, functioning recording studio on your own computer. There is an introduction to radio play production and the Audacity program, and further playful exercises prepare children for producing their own radio play. The materials are recommended on the website for children from 4th grade upwards. Some of the radio plays are only suitable for children from Year 5 upwards. To create your own audio projects, you do not need Internet access after downloading the desired materials.
AUDIYOUkids offers children the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of audio drama and become creative in the process. When creating their own audio projects, primary school children in particular need support at first, such as setting up the Audacity program and understanding its functions. Therefore, accompany younger children in particular when using the website. Creating your own small audio projects can also be a great way to get creative together with your child. If sounds and music are needed for your own radio play, you can browse AUDIYOU with your child for noises and sounds.
When producing your own audio projects, it’s easy to forget the time, so make sure you have a screen-free balance and exercise.
This article is part of the “Parents’ tips on children’s participation platforms” project, which is part of the “Child-friendly digital services and orientation measures” program of the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ) and realised by JFF – Institute for Media Education in Research and Practice and the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.).
Whether it’s a vacation by the sea, a birthday party with friends or cocoa in the morning – taking selfies and uploading them to Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat is a matter of course for many of us. Children and young people also want to share pictures of themselves and their experiences with others – and preferably in the best possible light. In the past, only professionals could edit photos to make a face look “perfect”. Today, this is very easy with apps and their image editing options, such as face filters.
On Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat users can take photos directly in the app and select a filter beforehand. Filters are placed virtually over the photo or video taken. This makes it quick and easy to integrate funny elements such as elf ears, beards or butterflies into the photo or video. In addition to fun filters, so-called gender swap filters and beauty filters are very popular.
Gender swap filters make it possible to convert female into male and male into female. Beauty filters, such as the YouCam Makeup app, change the person’s face and adapt it to certain specifications. Features such as skin texture, hair and eye color or facial features can be changed. AI-supported image generators that reshape people in the style of famous paintings, for example, are also popular.
The choice of filters is unlimited and is constantly growing. Children and young people find it funny and entertaining. They can also use filters to slip into other roles and try their hand. Sometimes filters even provide more anonymity, since the face is not always recognizable.
Beauty filters are used to quickly “prettify” your own face and adapt it to a certain ideal of beauty. Some young people feel more comfortable with filtered selfies than presenting their true selves in public.
With apps like Spark AR Studio, you can design your own filters and use them on Instagram. Young people can thus imitate the filters of their role models. There are even small trends and challenges developing with face filters, such as the Yearbook Challenge with retro filters. Challenges with family and friends like the #funnyfilterchallenge on TikTok are especially fun.
Big eyes, narrow nose, pouty mouth and perfect complexion – face filters can convey a very one-sided image of beauty and gender images. If young people often see such pictures of their idols on social media, this can give the impression that their own bodies are not normal and beautiful and that they must look just as perfect. As a result, they resort to filters that distort their own ego.
As young people’s self-confidence is not yet firmly established, they compare themselves strongly with other people and with widespread ideals of beauty. They may not like pictures of themselves without filters or how they really look. Yet at least some people meet the usual expectations of beauty. Gender-swap filters can convey a false gender image. They are mostly stereotypical and only differentiate between male and female. Some of them are also associated with costs or collect or store personal data.
A counter-movement in social media is called “body positivity” or #nofilter or#nofilterneeded. Images posted under these hashtags aim to show real people without using filters. However, there is no guarantee that the photos are filter-free.
Understand your child’s enthusiasm for Face Filter when it’s all about fun and creativity. Have them show you what filters your child is using. Talk to him about filters that are supposed to make you more beautiful and what is really behind them. Make it clear that filtered images have little to do with reality and encourage them to do without filters from time to time. You can also show your child in the app settings of social media platforms how to “Like” posts on e.g. Instagram can hide. This can reduce the pressure to get as many likes as possible. Browse the web together for photos tagged with the hashtags #nofilter or #facepositivity . Talk about your own self-image and encourage your child to accept themselves and see themselves as beautiful.
On the HanisauLand.de internet portal, children between the ages of 8 and 14 are introduced to the world of politics in an age-appropriate and playful way. They can share and discuss their opinions in a moderated participation area.
There is a lot for children to discover in HanisauLand and they also learn about democracy through play: In the comic series, rabbits, hippos and sows build a democracy together – HanisauLand. There are lots of games and quizzes as well as book and movie tips for children to browse through. In the “Calendar” section, important political and historical events are presented alongside famous personalities. In the “Special” section, topics from politics, history, togetherness and religions are taken up and presented in a vivid way.
Children can also participate in many areas and help shape HanisauLand: In the lexicon, not only are political terms explained for children, but children can also submit unknown terms and questions. In the “Your opinion” section, children can discuss children’s rights topics such as “cell phone ban in schools” or “voting rights for young people”. They receive background information and are then invited to contribute their opinions and discuss them together. They can also contact the editorial team with their concerns and questions under “Post”.
No e-mail address is required to participate, a fantasy name is sufficient. All contributions will be checked by the editorial team before publication, personal data or insults and abuse will be deleted.
HanisauLand is a great way for children to learn more about living together in a democracy and about rules on the Internet. Even the legal notice and privacy policy are formulated in a special version for children.
The editors of HanisauLand create and check all content for children aged 8 to 14. If links from the website lead to other pages, children are made aware of this and must confirm once again that they wish to leave the website. Nevertheless, it is important, especially with younger children, that you accompany your child, particularly when using the site for the first time. Make sure that your child can only access age-appropriate content. Setting options on the device or in apps also help here. Also make sure that the agreed media usage times with your child are adhered to and stay in contact with your child.
This article is part of the “Parents’ tips on children’s participation platforms” project, which is part of the “Child-friendly digital services and orientation measures” program of the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media (BzKJ) and realised by JFF – Institute for Media Education in Research and Practice and the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM e.V.).
They are among the most popular online formats for children and young people: Challenges. In the #FortniteDanceChallenge, for example, people film themselves performing the dances of the characters from the game Fortnite game. Or in the #PutYourFingerDownChallenge , they sing along to excerpts of ten songs and lower a finger for every song they know.
Challenges are available on almost all social media platforms. They are particularly popular with TikTok. Challenges can be fun and get attention for a specific cause. However, it can sometimes be dangerous when younger people in particular try to imitate certain challenges.
This internet phenomenon probably became known through the Ice Bucket Challenge, in which participants poured a bucket of ice water over their heads to raise awareness of ALS. The trend served a charitable purpose. Other challenges also have a positive intention. In the #ChalkYourWalkChallenge, people paint colorful sidewalks to leave a friendly message for others and thus promote a sense of community.
Some challenges are purely for entertainment, such as imitating dances and songs. In the #BoredInTheHouseChallenge, participants film themselves or their pets doing (humorous) activities. The clips are accompanied by the corresponding song. People take on various skill or fitness challenges, record the whole thing on video and then upload it to social networks. The #PlankChallenge is about increasing the number of push-ups you do every day.
Challenges are often provided with specific hashtags. The idea behind this is to post your own interpretation of the challenge and also publish the video under the hashtag. These videos go viral within hours and are shared and imitated by users all over the world. Companies also use hashtags to raise their profile among young people.
Adolescents find it exciting to compete with others and imitate things. This does not have to happen in a video, but can also be in everyday life, at home or at school. They sing together in the schoolyard or try to imitate a dance challenge.
Certain challenges can give young users a strong sense of community and belonging. Through likes and comments, they give each other feedback and make contact with each other. Recognition and thrills are also reasons for young people to take part in challenges.
Challenges are an integral part of many social media communities and are also taken part in by influencers. This encourages their young followers to join in and follow the trend.
Not every challenge is harmless. There are also dangerous and risky challenges. If young people are encouraged to imitate, but are not aware of the danger, this becomes a problem. Some challenges call for tests of courage. Others encourage them to eat things that are not meant to be eaten. Or the aim is to lose weight and be as thin as possible.
Behind some dangerous challenges are so-called hoaxes. These are made up stories that are spread as a challenge. Children and young people are encouraged to engage in risky activities because something bad will supposedly happen otherwise. In the end, the hoax challenges themselves are dangerous. Read more about this in our article on chain letters.
Networking with like-minded people, proving something to themselves or getting attention are reasons why young people get involved in dangerous challenges.
To counteract dangerous challenges, TikTok deletes clips with dangerous content or blocks certain search terms. However, videos are often tagged with modified terms such as challenge instead of challenge or underscores are added to avoid blocking.
Some challenge content is harmful to minors, for example when it involves pain, disgust or horror. Social media providers occasionally delete dangerous content, but that doesn’t stop other risky challenges from trending. On YouTube and TikTok it is forbidden to post such challenges. On TikTok, users receive an immediate warning when supposedly risky challenge videos appear in their feed. There are also educational videos about it.
Keep an open mind about fun, harmless, or even helpful challenges. You may also want to take on such challenges together with the whole family.
Time to BRAWL! Cool characters, exciting matches, jewels and trophies – that’s the colorful game world of Brawl Stars. We present the popular mobile app.
Brawl Stars is a mobile battle arena game for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, developed by Finnish game provider Supercell. It is based on the “free-to-play” model and is basically free of charge. In the game, you fight either alone or in teams of two or three against friends or other players. A round of the game lasts only a few minutes.
The players control characters, so-called “Brawlers”. Each Brawler has their own abilities and play styles. The aim is to defeat opponents and other teams, collect gems or complete certain tasks. Over the course of the game, new Brawlers can be unlocked, their skills improved and their appearance customized with skins and accessories. These extras can be purchased with the in-game coins earned or obtained through rewards. Real money can be used to buy in-game coins and thus achieve faster progress in the game. The colorful and vibrant graphics and simple controls make the game accessible and entertaining for players of all ages. Brawl Stars also features regular updates, events and an active community that keeps the game fresh and engaging.
Free game apps are interesting for many children and young people as they promise free fun. Playing together as a team and competing against other players is particularly exciting and fun. The rounds are entertaining and you can progress quickly. The look of the game is also impressive: Everything in the game is colorfully designed in cartoon graphics and the brawlers look funny. Winning a round earns you rewards. The game features loot boxes (surprise boxes) with a star symbol – also known as “Starrdrops”. Whoever opens the Starrdrops receives random rewards such as new skins, sprays, accessories, coins, jewels or new brawlers. The surprise effect and the prospect of stronger characters can quickly motivate children and young people to keep playing to get more Starrdrops and become more and more “powerful” for duels.
The short game rounds and regular rewards make the game attractive and tempt you to keep playing. Brawl Stars is played in teams. Players can create and join clubs.
Your child may come into contact with strangers who, in the worst case, are not who they say they are. Following random game rounds, your child can receive friend requests from players. There is a risk of cyberbullying and cybergrooming here.
For the chance to get rare brawlers or new coins, your child may be tempted to spend real money on in-game items and loot boxes. These purchases make it possible to equip their favorite Brawler with better abilities. There is also the option to purchase so-called “Brawl Passes”, which offer significantly more rewards and faster game progress. The game provider earns a lot of money with such mechanisms.
There is a guide for parents on the official website of the provider Supercell. Among other things, it refers to existing in-app purchases in the game and explains how parents can manage and, if necessary, disable them. Supercell states that it does not pass on personal data to third parties for commercial purposes or in any other way. The provider has created a “blacklist” for safe chatting. This allows certain terms to be quickly and automatically removed from chats. Chat messages can be muted and are then no longer displayed.
The best way to start is to discover the game together. Play together with your child to understand your child’s enthusiasm for the game.
Be wary of third-party vendors offering Brawl Stars enhancements such as free jewels. Here, personal information and/or money are often demanded without delivering the promised product.
On the children’s portal Frieden-fragen.de, questions about war, conflict, violence and peace are explained in a child-friendly way. Children can find age-appropriate information and individual answers to their questions. This enables a sensitive approach to difficult topics.
War and peace, conflict and violence – these are topics that even younger children are concerned with. They often have many questions that are not so easy to answer. At Frieden-fragen.de, children’s questions are answered individually. The answers are sent to the children by e-mail (if specified) or published on the website. Answers to many questions asked by children can also be found on the website.
The Berghof Foundation / Friedenspädagogik Tübingen project also tackles difficult questions. Frieden-fragen.de describes its approach as being “based on the fundamental values of peace, justice and non-violence and the state of the art. Differences and controversies in politics and society are named and made visible.” The aim is to make connections recognizable and to provide children with knowledge about the background and coexistence of people and states.
In addition to the question portal and factual information, children will find various areas to browse through. There are stories from children and adults from all over the world to discover as well as pictures and videos to watch. The characters Sakina, Cody and Frieda accompany children through the site. Many difficult terms are explained in a child-friendly way in the lexicon.
The website also offers various hands-on activities for children.
There are suggestions on how children can make their own contribution to peaceful coexistence, e.g. they can use the peace machine peace messages for classmates.
Teachers can find further background information and teaching materials in the adult section.
The service provides information on wars in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. Nevertheless, topics relating to war and conflict can overwhelm, frighten or unsettle children. Many children have heard about current wars on social media, on television, in class or in the playground. Some are affected by the topic themselves, e.g. through relatives or their own experience of flight. Take your child’s concerns about these issues seriously and help them to find answers to their questions. You know your child best and can assess which media content they can cope with. It is best to take a look at the Frieden-fragen.de website together. Then you will immediately notice how your child reacts to the content and can support your child accordingly. Read more about war in the media or news for children and young people here.
Dieser Artikel ist Teil des Projekts „Eltern-Inspos zu Kinder-Partizipationsplattformen“, das im Rahmen des Förderprogramms „Kindgerechte digitale Angebote und Maßnahmen zur Orientierung“ der Bundeszentrale für Kinder- und Jugendmedienschutz (BzKJ) gefördert und in Zusammenarbeit von JFF – Institut für Medienpädagogik in Forschung und Praxis und der Freiwilligen Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter (FSM e.V.) umgesetzt wird.
