Children and young people encounter AI in many places today: Chatbots answer questions for homework, voice assistants help in everyday life, creative apps generate images, music or short stories. This can be exciting, inspiring and confusing at the same time. Many parents therefore ask themselves: How do I guide my child so that they use AI curiously, safely and critically without being overwhelmed? Don’t worry: you don’t have to be an AI expert to accompany your child safely.
Artificial intelligence is often surprisingly clever. It responds quickly, friendly and sometimes more convincingly than adults. However, children should understand: AI does not “know” anything. It merely calculates which answers are likely to seem correct. And that is precisely why it can make mistakes, adopt prejudices or invent content.
Many AI applications also save the data entered. Depending on the tool, more or less information can be collected. Children should therefore learn early on to handle personal information with care. It should also be clear that AI is no substitute for personal advice, teachers or parents.
The younger children are, the more guidance they need when dealing with AI. For primary school children in particular, it is important to try things out together, ask questions and scrutinize results.
Can’t find an answer to your question? Ask your personal questions about your child’s media use directly and conveniently using the messenger service via WhatsApp or Threema. You can find more information here.
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. If you have devices such as smartphones, tablets, cameras or a laptop at home – how about you and your child just get started? You can take photos or film together, try out new creative apps and actively organize media time. It’s great fun and your child will also learn something about media skills along the way.
On the website kinder.jff.de there are suggestions for simple media projects that children aged 3 and over can do at home with the support of you as parents. 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?
knipsclub offers a safe environment for young photo fans between the ages of 8 and 12 to 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
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 around 3,400 verified websites, including almost 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 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 probably also likes watching videos and going to the movies. A TV evening together can be a really nice family experience. Pay attention to the FSK age rating to protect your child from unsuitable content. But be careful: FSK ratings are
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 comprehensive information for parents. Use the smartphone readiness checklist to check whether a smartphone is ready to go under the Christmas tree. Has the decision been positive? Then find out about the technical setting options and set up your smartphone to be childproof. 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 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 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 parental control program JusProg offers a precise filtering option for websites and safe default settings for mobile devices and laptops. Google Family Link and YouTube Kids offer the opportunity to make media experiences safer for your child in the world of the internet giant Google. Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok also offer safety features and parental guidance options. 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 dance trends, comedy or small everyday moments – TikTok inspires young people worldwide. The platform invites them to get creative, try out new things and get in touch with others. For many young people, it has long been more than just entertainment – it is part of their everyday lives.
TikTok combines social media and video app. Users choose from a library of well-known songs, audio or film quotes, film playback or create their own clips. The videos usually only last a few seconds to minutes, but clips of up to ten minutes are now also possible. Some videos trigger hype, are imitated or continued as challenges.
Public videos can be viewed via the browser, an account is required for your own uploads. TikTok offers many additional functions: Duets (filming together), stitches (sharing clips from others), live streams and the
Young people appreciate TikTok for fun, sharing and self-presentation. The app is low-threshold: with effects, a music library and simple editing options, you can quickly create your own videos. Unlike
TikTok motivates young users to realize their own ideas: Dance moves, comedy, experiments, tutorials or role-playing games. Many learn how to plan content, develop small storyboards and combine music with visual effects.
TikTok is continuously developing its security functions:
Despite these measures, the feed remains algorithm-controlled. Content can be filtered, e.g. videos from people with disabilities or those that are censored in individual countries. The app’s endless loops can also lead to heavy usage pressure.
Clarify motivation: Ask your child why they want to use TikTok – entertainment, creativity or sharing? Explain that likes, followers and comments can influence self-perception.
Step-by-step introduction: Start by exploring the app together via the browser, without an account. If you set it up together later, make sure you enter the year of birth correctly – this is the only way to ensure that the safety functions relevant to the protection of minors work. Check the settings step by step: privacy, comments, time limits.
Use security functions: Enable accompanied mode, private accounts, restricted comments and content filters. Deactivate livestreams, duets and stitches under the age of 16. The step-by-step instructions on medien-kindersicher.de will help you to set up all the important settings correctly.
Rules for private messagesDefine together who is allowed to send DMs or voice messages. Deactivate this function completely if required. Only allow group chats with known people.
Protect your privacyExplain never to share personal data such as name, school or address. Show how faces can be covered with stickers or backgrounds. Point out possible biometric data collection through filters.
Time management and balance: Agree fixed screen times, plan breaks and encourage activities outside the app. Actively accompany your child instead of just controlling them.
Reflective approach to content: Discuss advertising, filters, influencers and trends. Show how content is reported or blocked. Use the restart function to critically scrutinize recommendations.
Encourage communication: Encourage your child to report cyberbullying or harassment. Practise reporting and blocking together. Talk about respectful commenting and digital empathy. More information can be found in TikTok’s guide for parents (in cooperation with the FSM).
Strengthen critical thinking: Explain how algorithms work, what opportunities there are to earn money and how content can have a manipulative effect. This teaches your child to examine information critically.
Accompany instead of monitor: occasionally watch videos together, reflect on the rules and adjust them if necessary. Trust is the most important basis.
Did you know that your child can hear even before he or she is born? The ear is the first sensory organ to develop during pregnancy.
Hearing also plays a special role in babies and toddlers. Babies can recognize the voice of their caregiver at an early age. Hearing is important for perceiving the environment and learning to speak. Since young children cannot yet read, they are especially dependent on hearing. They enjoy being read to or listening to audio stories.
From kindergarten age at the latest, children are fascinated by audio media such as music, podcasts and radio plays. Many children like to use their own listening box for this. From kindergarten age, you can produce little audio stories together or try out games with sounds. This trains accurate listening and helps to learn to speak well. Here are a few options.
You can go for a walk with small children from the age of 3 and listen carefully: What do we hear? What actually makes a noise? Tip: close your eyes – then your ears will perceive even more.
When your child is a little older, you can go on a sound safari together. Every smartphone has a built-in microphone, and many also have an app for recording voice memos. Go outside, e.g. into the forest. Collect different sounds together and record them. Do you and your child recognize the sounds afterwards? If you are out with several children, you can make a sound puzzle out of it and let each other guess which sounds were recorded.
Speaking needs to be practiced – and is particularly fun for children when they are allowed to consciously discover their own voice. Small vocal exercises such as speaking loudly and softly, trying out different moods or reciting tongue twisters strengthen articulation and expression. In this way, your child learns to use their voice in a playful way. You can find exercises for speech training here on Auditorix. In the next step, you and your child can conduct a short interview – for example with a family member, a neighbor or a friend. Topics such as favorite places, hobbies or wishes for the future are a good place to start. In this way, your child not only trains their voice, but also learns to listen, ask specific questions and shape conversations.
Producing and recording music yourself is fun for children and encourages their creativity. Your child can create their own sounds and rhythms with simple means – for example, with everyday objects such as cans and rubber bands or rattles made from rice and cups. Those who prefer to work digitally can use music apps such as GarageBand or Indigo Pads to playfully try out instruments and record their own melodies. This quickly creates a little beat that makes a radio play sound livelier and emphasizes moods, for example.
Almost every child has a favorite book or story. Make a little radio play out of it together. This works with children aged 4 and over. With a smartphone or tablet, you can easily record and combine different soundtracks – for example, using the Audio Adventure app. Read the dialog with distributed roles and think together about how you can use music and add sounds to the story. What does it sound like when it’s raining or storming outside? An overview of how to create sounds yourself can be found on Auditorix. You can find video instructions on how to tell stories with a tablet at kinder.jff.de.
If the weather doesn’t invite you to go out, your child can solve audio puzzles on AUDIYOUkids or Planet Schule, set a story to music themselves or put together an audio play. Accompany your child – especially if they can’t read yet. Children of primary school age and above can also learn to edit audio recordings here.
Then get your ears ready and have fun listening together, making noises and setting stories to music!
Having their own tablet can be exciting for children: playing games, reading books, getting creative or using educational apps. However, many parents ask themselves: when is it worth giving them their own device – and when is the family tablet enough?
A shared tablet makes sense in the early years. Your child can try out content while you accompany, explain and restrict what they see and do. One family device is often enough to gain initial experience with apps, videos or games and to reflect on media use together.
It makes sense for your child to have their own tablet if they want to use media independently on a regular basis, pursue their own interests or use learning apps that require personal accounts. For children from around 6 to 7 years of age, having their own device can be useful if you clearly regulate and supervise their use.
The decisive factor is not the age, but the maturity of your child: Can they follow the rules? Do they know how to surf the net safely? Can they reflect on content and differentiate between games, learning and entertainment? Only when these skills are in place is it worth having your own device.
A tablet for children should be robust, intuitive to use and not too expensive. Simple devices with a sturdy casing and a child-friendly interface are good entry-level options. Check whether educational apps, audio books or creative tools are useful and whether in-app purchases and advertising can be deactivated.
Whether it’s a family or personal device: define usage times, content and rules together. Parental controls, family accounts and parental control apps help to control media use. Reflect together: How long is your child allowed to use the tablet? What content is allowed?
Having your own tablet can promote digital independence if you accompany them: Explain functions, try out educational apps together and talk critically about advertising, algorithms and content. In this way, your child learns to use media consciously and reflectively.
Can’t find an answer to your question? Ask your personal questions about your child’s media use directly and conveniently using the messenger service via WhatsApp or Threema. You can find more information here.
Every day we experience unforgettable moments with our children: their first steps, the costume party with their best friends or their first trip to the zoo. Of course, we want to capture them and share them with others.
We should be aware of the way in which photos of our children are circulating on the internet – whether on WhatsApp, Instagram or elsewhere online. After all, children also have a right to privacy and should be able to participate in decisions about what and how much of them can be seen on the internet, in line with their age.
Those who like to post photos of their loved ones should make sure that the face, surroundings and names are not clearly recognizable. We have collected a few creative ideas to still get beautiful and impressive photos:
Photothek/Thomas Trutsche
Be creative about the camera’s angle of view. A child’s photo from behind, above or below can also be adorable!
If you change the perspective, it can emphasize the image effect. Often it is enough to stand on a stair step or a kitchen chair. However, make sure that your child’s face is not recognizable.
If you go down to the child’s eye level, the background looks much more exciting and viewers get the feeling of seeing the world from the child’s point of view.
Photothek/Ute Grabowsky
Sometimes we get so busy trying to get everything in one picture at once that we overlook the little things altogether. Details can also tell a story and have an emotional impact.
Photothek/Ute Grabowsky
Interesting and creative photos can also be taken by photographing through other objects (e.g. leaves or fabrics) or working with water reflections. This can result in great puddle photos, for example, and the little ones have fun too!
Photothek/Ute Grabowsky
When you work with light and shadow, some photos look mysterious and exciting and others very artistic. Their advantage is that only silhouettes and no faces are visible.
Photo library
You may have seen photos of children in which their faces have been covered with emojis afterwards. If you already remember when taking the photo that you don’t want children’s faces to be seen, you can cover them up in another way. Sometimes such photos are not intended at all and look natural, for example, when the child just holds his hands or an object in front of his face – as in our example.
Photothek/Thomas Trutschel
Things can also tell stories, especially when you realize they have a connection to a person – like the shoes in our example photo.
Some of the effects mentioned can also be achieved by post-processing photos. For example, you can work with high contrasts and strong backlighting or play with depth of field. When creating a photo collage, images are sometimes displayed so small that the faces are no longer recognizable.
Involve your child as early as possible. Many children are used to being photographed. And looking at photos together on the smartphone is part of everyday family life for many. It is therefore a good idea to talk about the publication of photos on the internet at an early stage in a way that is appropriate for children. You can talk to children from primary school age about what the internet is and what it means when photos are published online.
Whether and how much you or your child reveal about yourself on the Internet is up to you. Above all, it is important to deal with the topic. Both parents and children should be aware of the possible consequences of publishing pictures of themselves and others on the Internet. Our article on children’s photos on the internet can serve as a stimulus for a joint discussion.
How do I change the data protection settings on my smartphone? What do I need to pay attention to so that my presentation is good? And how do I cook delicious spaghetti bolognese? In many families, learning new things with the help of videos has long been part of everyday life. Platforms such as YouTube or TikTok are full of explanatory videos that convey knowledge in a clear, creative and often entertaining way. You can find out how such videos help with learning in our article “When videos on the Internet replace the dictionary“.
But why just consume? In just a few steps, you can create an explanatory video together with your child using a smartphone and the like. It’s fun, improves media skills and the whole family can take part.
First you need to decide on the topic. Perhaps there is something interesting from your child’s school lessons that can be presented in a video? Everyday topics such as a favorite recipe, caring for a pet or a tricky repair job are also ideal. An explainer video can look different. We present four different styles that are easy to implement at home.
Explanatory videos in the style of Instagram Reels or TikToks are very popular with children. They are quick to make and fun to watch. Smartphone clips are more suitable for small information snippets without much depth.
Animated films are a simple, imaginative and creative way of explaining something. Animated videos convey content slowly and vividly. Their calm and clear presentation makes even complex topics easy to understand.
Explanatory videos with tools that use artificial intelligence are ideal if you want to get things done quickly. They are very easy to create and particularly suitable for families who enjoy writing texts.
An explainer video as a screen recording is particularly suitable for showing digital processes or presentations. Such an explanatory video is particularly suitable for older children and school content.
“Look dad, a giant beetle!”, “Mom, can I eat this berry?”, “What bird is singing?”. When it comes to nature and the environment, children make many exciting discoveries. Apps and children’s websites invite you to discover nature and the environment and to explore and identify the animals and plants around us.
Children are curious by nature and want to understand exactly what they are discovering in the world. Whether flowers or butterflies, animal tracks or constellations – with the right apps and online offers, you can learn new things about animals, plants and the environment together with your child. Take advantage of your child’s love of discovery and combine it with outdoor nature experiences. We present four selected apps and two children’s websites.
What’s blooming by the wayside? Take a photo of a flower, stem or leaf on a walk and find out the answer in seconds – the Flora Incognita (Latin for “unknown plant world”) app makes it possible. It is easy to use and turns children into naturalists. Thanks to a special algorithm, the AI-supported app recognizes a variety of flowers, shrubs, trees and grasses and provides information about them. The discoveries can be saved in the app and thus provide science with information on the distribution of plants. Flora Incognita is the product of a research project by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena and Ilmenau University of Technology. The app is available free of charge and ad-free for iOS and Android devices. It is labeled by the USK from 0 years(Google Play Store).
More info: https://floraincognita.de/
“Cuckoo, cuckoo, calls from the forest!”. Birds often sit well hidden in bushes or on high trees. We don’t always see them, but can easily hear their chirping and calling. Telling the different bird calls apart is not so easy. The BirdNET app offers assistance. With it, bird calls can be recorded and directly determined. The profiles provide more detailed information on the feathered animals and the records are used for scientific purposes. BirdNET is a research project of Chemnitz University of Technology and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The free and ad-free app has a USK age rating from 0 years(Google Play Store) and is available for both iOS and Android.
More info: https://birdnet.cornell.edu/
The iNaturalist app is a social platform that connects nature lovers worldwide in a community. Users can upload and identify photos of all kinds of animals, plants and fungi via a profile. The observations are provided with the location and saved. This allows other users to look up what animals and plants have been spotted in the area and discuss the findings. There are an impressive number of discoveries in the free app. Nevertheless, it is clearly designed and easy to use for older children. iNaturalist is free and available for Android and for iOS. The app is labeled by the USK from 0 years(Google Play Store) and the use is allowed from 13 years according to the terms and conditions.
More info: https://www.inaturalist.org/
Big Dipper, Milky Way, Polaris: that’s how familiar most people are with our night sky. Beyond that, it often already becomes difficult. The Star Walk 2 Plus – Star Map app offers the opportunity to discover the stars and planets around us using the location of the camera function. By clicking on a celestial body, users can learn more about it. Using augmented reality, the app connects individual stars to form beautiful, three-dimensional constellations and accompanies the experience with atmospheric music. In-app purchases provide access to more categories such as satellites and comets. The app is free of charge and advertising in the basic version and available for Android and iOS. It is labeled by the USK from 0 years(Google Play Store).
More info: https://starwalk.space/de
Whether forest or meadow, city or countryside, mountains or water – children encounter nature everywhere. The NAJUversum website invites children aged 6 to 12 to discover the environment in a playful and interactive way. With child-friendly texts, exciting videos, games and hands-on activities, they learn a lot about animals, plants and habitats. Whether they want to find out how to build a squirrel house, how to separate waste correctly or how vegetables can grow without soil – NAJUversum makes them want to learn, do handicrafts and discover. The platform is offered by Naturschutzjugend (NAJU), the children’s and youth organization of NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany). It has been recognized by Seitenstark as a high-quality children’s website.
More info: https://www.najuversum.de/
“Why is biodiversity important?” and “What can we look out for in our everyday lives to protect the environment?” The online environmental magazine Ökoleo answers these and other questions. It is aimed at children and young people aged 9 to 14. New articles on various nature and environmental topics are published weekly. Texts and images, videos and audio invite users to discover, participate and get active. Users can test their knowledge of nature in small quizzes. An encyclopaedia and excursion tips for Hesse give children even more ideas for getting active outdoors themselves. Ökoleo is an online magazine of the Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and is certified by Seitenstark.
More info: https://www.oekoleo.de/
Kids photos are great! They show without big words how colorful, funny, exciting and chaotic everyday life with children can be. Thanks to smartphones, beautiful moments can be captured easily and quickly and shared with family and friends. In a few seconds, the cute snapshot of your baby with the first porridge on her face is over Instagram and WhatsApp shared.
What parents find cute and share with the world can have quite unpleasant consequences for children (later on). Even if you as a parent like all the photos of your child, put yourself in your child’s shoes! You probably don’t like yourself in every photo either. Froma children’s rights perspective, photos of children on the Internet are questionable, because too often they are posted without their consent. Just like adults, children have a right to privacy (Art. 16, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and the right to their own image, and thus the freedom to decide for themselves in principle what and how much they reveal about themselves.
Do not underestimate the fact that information and images are quickly spread online and can be found easily and indefinitely. Although a photo is deleted from a profile, post, story, status or blog, the images can continue to circulate. Others can copy them, take a screenshot, distort them and distribute them further. Images of children can be misused by strangers, everyday photos can be sexualized or unflattering images can increase the risk of cyberbullying. This makes it all more important that you, as adults, deal consciously and considerately with your child’s personal rights on the Internet.
No, it doesn’t have to mean that! Children are part of our society and therefore they should be visible – also in the digital world. The decisive factor is how children are portrayed: In which situations can you see your child in the photo? Can you see the face clearly? Who can see photos when you post them? If you follow a few rules, there’s nothing wrong with sharing a child’s photo while preserving your child’s privacy rights. Not to be forgotten is the child’s right to participation (Art. 12, UN CRC), which is why it is important to involve children in an age-appropriate way and obtain their consent. The German Children’s Fund also provides comprehensive information about children’s photos on the internet. In its unbubble format, ZDF also addressed the topic of children’s photos on social media, with various people presenting their points of view and exchanging arguments for and against. We have summarized specific guidance on publishing children’s photos by age group. In the links below you will find the appropriate text for your child’s age.
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.
Have you ever seen those beautiful photos where light was used to paint or write? The pictures look spectacular and can even be taken with a smartphone.
Lightpainting translates as painting with light. This involves taking photos in low light conditions or in the dark. Flashlights, LED lights or sparklers serve as light sources. They can be used to draw pictures, symbols or letters in the air and capture them in a photo. In the process, beautiful light paintings are created. Many families have the technology to do their own light painting at home. Because light painting is possible with many smartphones.
Image source: Unsplash/Brunetto Ziosi
Light painting can be a beautiful media project with the whole family. Even small children (from about 3 years) can participate by moving light sources. Older children can learn how light painting works with a smartphone. Everyone can live out their creativity together.
All you need for such a project is a smartphone, a darkened interior (with a little experience it is possible outside) and a few colorful light sources, e.g:
You need a smartphone with a camera app that allows a longer exposure time (long exposure). You can check whether your device can do this in the camera app: Search there for a “Pro mode” or “Manual settings”. If you can set the exposure time (usually labeled “S” or “Shutter Speed”) to around 10 to 30 seconds, your smartphone is suitable. If this is not the case, there are special camera apps to download (e.g. Wow! Stuff Light Painting for Android and iOS).
A night-time activity outdoors during the summer vacations or indoors in winter will delight young and old alike. Keep in mind that it takes a little practice to get great images. With a little patience, you can create small photo projects such as a New Year’s photo with sparklers and the year, a photo of passing cars on the highway or your child as a superhero with a cape or wings. Together with your child, you are sure to come up with many creative motifs!
By the way: If you have a digital camera with a tripod, you can create even better quality light paintings. Check if you can set longer exposure times of about 30 seconds on your camera. On the website of the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia you will find a picture guide to light painting with the camera, which is also easy for children to understand.
You can also find out more about light painting and photography with children at Kamerakindern and at the Knipsclub photo community. In this KiKA video, a photo artist shows which light sources can be used to create beautiful effects.
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.
Does your child watch older siblings or friends use social media every day? Perhaps they are already interested in platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and the like? Social media apps place high demands on the media skills of young users. This is exactly where the new NYZZU app comes in: It has been specially developed for children, young people and families. It aims to offer a protected space that focuses on privacy, safety and responsible media use.
NYZZU is a social network where users can take their first steps in digital networks – age-appropriate and without overwhelming content.
Similar to other well-known platforms, users share photos and videos with their contacts. Liking and commenting on posts is also possible. Unlike other apps, NYZZU does not use algorithms. The posts in the feed appear in chronological order. This allows users to keep track of what their friends are posting and when. Content can be shared with several people in groups. There is no classic chat function.
Security and data protection have top priority at NYZZU: friendships can only be made between people who have saved each other in their address book. This protective mechanism is designed to prevent children from interacting with unwanted contacts. Personal content can be shared “privately” between two people or made visible to mutual friends. All posts can also be deleted at any time. The screenshot function is deactivated to prevent content from spreading beyond the app.
NYZZU takes on many of the functions of traditional social media and yet differs from them. The new app does not focus on the most popular or viral content, but on everyday, personal posts from normal life. A Like on NYZZU can have a greater meaning for children and young people than on other platforms, as it is less about public recognition and more about sharing with friends and family. The absence of algorithms and influencers reduces pressure and the potential for addiction.
Children and young people can use the app as a digital photo album in which they can share their experiences and memories. Adding filters and music to photos and videos makes NYZZU a creative space that is fun for children and young people.
“Respect your friendship” – it is particularly important to the founders of NYZZU to create a safe space in which friends and family members of all ages can stay in contact with each other safely. On its website, NYZZU’s code of conduct clearly opposes bullying, discrimination and abuse. The NYZZU Codex explains potential communication risks and refers to digital counseling services.
NYZZU follows the principle of “Safety by Design”. Safety settings such as follower requests are activated by default. Inappropriate posts can be reported directly via a reporting function. The design of the website, including the terms and conditions, the codex and the privacy policy, are youth-friendly.
Children under the age of 13 require parental consent to use the app. When registering, the parents’ e-mail address must be provided and the registration confirmed via a link. NYZZU is part of the Seitenstark network as a high-quality and child-friendly online service.
If your child will soon be getting their first smartphone, NYZZU could be a suitable app to get them started. Register together with your child and set rules for use together. Make sure that no sensitive or personal data is shared when creating the profile.
Zeigen Sie Ihrem Kind wo es Sicherheitsfunktionen wie die Meldefunktion findet und wie es diese nutzen kann. Sprechen Sie mit ihrem Kind auch über Herausforderungen und tauschen Sie sich zum Beispiel über Kommunikationsrisiken wie Hate Speech aus. Klären Sie Ihr Kind über Privatsphäre im Netz auf und machen Sie ihm begreiflich, welche persönlichen Daten es besser nicht teilen sollte.
To ensure that your child can actively use NYZZU, it is advisable to talk about the app with friends, family and other parents. Although other social media apps are also very popular, you can lead by example and try out alternative apps like NYZZU together with your child. And if you like it: invite others to join in!
Egal ob witzige Tierbilder mit Sprechblasen, verfremdete Pressefotos oder neu interpretierte Szenen aus Filmen und Serien – Memes sind heutzutage überall im Internet zu finden. Memes werden durch das Teilen in sozialen Netzwerken schnell sehr bekannt und sind auch bei Kindern und Jugendlichen beliebt. Sie spiegeln Humor und Gruppenzugehörigkeit wider, können aber auch problematische Inhalte transportieren und verbreiten.
Ein Bild, ein Video oder ein Filmausschnitt wird dann zum Meme, wenn es aus seinem ursprünglichen Kontext gerissen und mit einem neuen, oft humorvollen Text versehen wird. Besonders lustig sind Memes, wenn man das Original kennt – denn der Witz entsteht meist aus der überraschenden Kombination von Bekanntem und Neuem. Der Text ist dabei häufig ironisch gemeint.
Hinter Memes steckt oft eine kreative Idee, die immer wieder neu interpretiert wird und sich stetig weiterentwickelt. Memes werden auch genutzt, um Gefühle zu zeigen oder auf aktuelle politische und gesellschaftliche Themen aufmerksam zu machen. Berühmte Persönlichkeiten wie Goethe oder Napoleon oder Figuren aus Filmen und Comics bekommen neue, zeitgemäße Aussagen in den Mund gelegt. So wird aktueller Bezug zur heutigen Wirklichkeit hergestellt.
Das Besondere an Memes ist, dass dieselben Bilder immer wieder verwendet und mit einem neuen Text versehen werden. Ein bekanntes Beispiel ist „Hide the Pain Harold“ (Deutsch: „Verbirg den Schmerz, Harold“), das diesem Artikel als Beitragsbild dient. Dieses Meme zeigt den Ungarn Arató András mit einem gequälten Lächeln und wurde zu einem der bekanntesten Reaktionsbilder im Internet.
Es gibt verschiedene Meme-Formate: Ein klassisches Beispiel ist ein Bild mit einem witzigen Spruch in großer, weißer Schrift. Andere Memes bestehen aus Screenshots von Chats, Comic-Zeichnungen oder kurzen Videoclips. Viele Memes folgen bestimmten Vorlagen oder Trends. Wer sich in der Meme-Welt auskennt, erkennt diese Muster sofort.
Für viele Jugendliche sind Memes weit mehr als bloße Unterhaltung – sie gehören fest zu ihrer (digitalen) Sprache. Mit Memes können sie Stimmungen, Gedanken oder Meinungen ausdrücken. Durch Ironie und Übertreibung lassen sich auch schwierige oder unangenehme Themen leichter ansprechen. Wer aktuelle Memes kennt oder selbst gestaltet, zeigt Zugehörigkeit zur eigenen Peer-Group.
Zudem fördern sie die Kreativität: Jugendliche probieren sich aus in Bildbearbeitung, Sprache und der Verbindung zu Trends in Social Media und Popkultur. Da Memes schnell erstellt und geteilt werden können, bieten sie eine einfache Möglichkeit, sich humorvoll und individuell mitzuteilen. Die visuelle Kommunikation ist ihnen ohnehin vertraut – Emojis, GIFs und Bilder ersetzen oft ganze Texte. Und da Kinder und Jugendliche gerne lachen und scherzen, treffen Memes genau ihre Vorlieben und verbreiten sich entsprechend schnell. Memes sind so beliebt, dass sie auch in der Offline-Welt präsent sind – zum Beispiel als Party-Kartenspiele oder Pausenhofgespräche.
Auch wenn viele Memes harmlos oder lustig wirken, können sie problematische Inhalte transportieren. Manche Memes enthalten diskriminierende, rassistische oder sexistische Aussagen, machen sich über Minderheiten lustig oder verbreiten Verschwörungstheorien und politische Propaganda. Extremistische Gruppen nutzen Memes, um ihre Ideologien zu verbreiten – gerade bei Jugendlichen, die oft nicht hinterfragen, welche Botschaft dahintersteckt.
Oft werden sie anonym erstellt und rasant weiterverbreitet – ohne Rücksicht auf Urheberrechte oder die abgebildeten Personen. Besonders kritisch wird es, wenn Menschen durch Memes bloßgestellt oder herabgewürdigt werden, etwa wegen eines sichtbaren Handicaps. Wenn sich solche Inhalte stark verbreiten, kann das für die betroffenen Personen große negative Folgen haben.
Sie müssen kein*e Meme-Expert*in sein, um Ihr Kind gut zu begleiten – ein grundlegendes Verständnis reicht aus, um im Gespräch zu bleiben. Zeigen Sie Interesse an der Mediennutzung Ihres Kindes. Fragen Sie ruhig nach: Welches Meme ist gerade angesagt? So entsteht ein offener Austausch – auch über problematische oder verletzende Inhalte.
Sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Kind über einen respektvollen Umgang miteinander im Netz, die Grenzen von Humor und mögliche Diskriminierung. Unterstützen Sie es dabei, Inhalte kritisch zu hinterfragen: Wer steckt hinter einem Meme? Welche Botschaft wird vermittelt? Welche Wirkung kann es auf andere haben? Gehen Sie dabei mit gutem Beispiel voran: reflektieren Sie Ihre eigene Online-Kommunikation kritisch und sprechen Sie mit gemeinsam mit Ihrem Kind über Ihre Erfahrungen.
Auch Menschen, die sich für eine wertschätzende Kommunikationskultur im Netz engagieren, nutzen Memes, um Hass und Extremismus etwas entgegenzusetzen – eine Sammlung solcher Memes finden Sie zum Beispiel auf dem Instagram-Profil von Gustaver der Liebe.
Wenn Sie und Ihr Kind gern Memes anschauen oder teilen, werfen Sie gemeinsam einen kritischen Blick auf die Inhalte. Oder gestalten Sie selbst kreative und lustige Memes, zum Beispiel mit dem Online-Tool Meme Generator von imgflip.com oder der App Mematic. Das macht Spaß und fördert die Medienkompetenz.
Imgflip
Building your own worlds from building blocks, slipping into imaginative roles and completing exciting missions – the online gaming platform Roblox is still very popular with young people. As it also includes chat functions and some people earn money with their games, Roblox combines gaming, social media and creative design on one platform – which is why it has been rated 16+ since January 2025.
The two words Robots and Blocks together make up the name of the Roblox gaming platform. Here you can create and play virtual worlds in Lego style, which is particularly popular with young people. Roblox is a mixture of game world and social network and is reminiscent of Minecraft.
After registering on roblox.com, players receive a pre-made game character (avatar) that they can customize as they wish. Clothes or a different hairstyle are free of charge. Some extra accessories cost money in the form of their own currency Robux. Functions such as creating games as well as playing games themselves are freely available.
Many young people love the game because they can easily develop their own games. Registered users can create their own games with the “Roblox Studio” building tool and share them with others. Simple structures can be designed, but also complex worlds of experience such as cities and amusement parks. In the Roblox community, young people can let off steam creatively and chat with each other.
Roblox is particularly popular with young game developers, as they can create and publish their own games there. If a game is played frequently by other users and money is invested, there is a chance that the developers – your child, for example – will also earn a share.
In January 2025, the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body(USK) raised the age rating for Roblox from 12 to 16. There were several key reasons for this decision:
In addition, the USK criticized the lack of effective precautionary measures on the part of the platform operators, such as insufficiently secured children’s accounts and the lack of age ratings in accordance with German standards. Due to these aspects, the age rating was adjusted to ensure the protection of minors and provide parents with better guidance.
The provider Roblox Corporation emphasizes on its platform that it takes security and data protection very seriously. There is a reporting system for inappropriate chat messages and a chat filter. After registration, an account is automatically created in “data protection mode” for users under the age of 13. Younger players will then not have access to the social media functions, for example. Some games are also only released from a certain age. Moderators check whether uploaded image and video material meets the requirements for youth-friendly content. Inappropriate content is actively filtered and deleted. However, all of this assumes that the player’s age has been truthfully stated when registering.
Roblox offers various safety functions that allow you to keep a better eye on your child’s play. Parents can find out more about parental controls on the Roblox website.
Roblox is repeatedly accused of not sufficiently moderating both the content and the communication between users and of not taking consistent enough action against violations of the community guidelines. For example, young people may come across discriminatory and extremist content in the games.
In principle, the state does not use age labels to specify which media content parents may allow their children to play at home. Nevertheless, you should make sure that you only provide your child with games that are suitable and approved for their age. You should therefore pay attention to the 16+ label.
If your child is under the age of 16 and already has a Roblox account, you are not obliged to delete the account due to the age upgrade. However, it is advisable that you look into the changed age rating and the reasons for it and decide whether the platform is still suitable for your child. If you do not want to ban use completely, you can, for example, check the account restrictions together and adjust them if necessary. Talk to your child about the age rating and why it has been adjusted. If you decide that your child should delete an existing Roblox account, also talk to them about this and explain your reasons. If you are already using a parental control program, depending on the settings, programs with an age rating of 16 and above may be automatically blocked.
Register and create a profile together with your child and discover the Roblox game world together. Talk to him about his gaming experiences. Let them show you what your child plays and ask why they like certain games and who they socialize with.
Set the account so that your child is shown games that are as age-appropriate as possible. Use a parent PIN so that only you can change the settings. Also keep an eye on the in-app purchases made. Advise your child not to disclose any private data via the platform. Educate your child about communication risks online and encourage them to block and report suspicious or unpleasant contacts. Chat options can be limited or even disabled and age visibility can be turned off. You can also find all important steps for parental control at Roblox on medien-kindersicher.de.
