The world of film is exciting and diverse – and children and young people in particular love to immerse themselves in stories and identify with media heroes. However, not every offer that looks tempting is suitable for young viewers. As a parent, it is your job to give your child access to age-appropriate content. But how can you keep track of the jungle of streaming services, TV programs, movies, social media channels and media libraries?
Educational age recommendations and independent movie reviews can help you make informed decisions and select suitable content together with your child. In this article, we present four platforms.
Would your child like to search for exciting movies online themselves? KinderFilmWelt is a free and secure film portal aimed directly at children aged three to 13. Here, young film fans can find child-friendly reviews of current movies, TV broadcasts, streaming offers and DVD/Blu-ray releases. The films are rated by the editorial team and given educational age recommendations. They show the age from which the films are particularly recommendable and easy to understand. Users can rate films themselves with up to five hearts. The site offers a film lexicon that explains terms from the world of film and offers the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of filmmaking via educational films. KinderFilmWelt is published by the German Children’s and Youth Film Center (KJF), which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. The portal bears the Seitenstark seal of approval for digital children’s media.
More info: https://www.kinderfilmwelt.de/
Do you need help choosing something suitable for your child from the multitude of moving image offerings? FLIMMO is a free and ad-free guide that helps families choose TV shows, streaming content and social media channels. FLIMMO uses a traffic light system to show whether a movie, series or online channel is suitable for children. Age recommendations help with the selection of age-appropriate content. Educational assessments explain what children like about the content, which aspects could be problematic and what parents should pay particular attention to. FLIMMO also offers practical tips on media education in the family, such as recommendations on going to the movies for the first time or tips on switching off. FLIMMO is published by Programmberatung für Eltern e.V.
More information: Parents’ guide article FLIMMO
Would you like to immerse yourself in the world of film and be inspired? filmdienst.de is an online portal for cinema, film culture and film criticism published by the Catholic Film Commission for Germany. It offers comprehensive ratings and reviews, interviews and portraits of filmmakers and news from film culture, such as festival reports. For you as parents, the platform offers educationally recommended children’s and youth films and thematic film recommendations, such as on friendship or school. Educational age recommendations give an indication of when it is worth watching (together). This makes it easier for you to find suitable films for different occasions or your child’s interests.
More info: https://www.filmdienst.de/suche/filme
The German Film and Media Rating Board (FBW) is an independent institution that assesses films according to their quality and awards outstanding works with the ratings “valuable” or “particularly valuable”. The ratings indicate a particular quality in terms of content and artistry. In the “Children’s and youth films” category on the website, parents can find high-quality films on a wide range of exciting topics – even beyond the well-known blockbusters. In the “Short Film Edition”, the FBW publishes recommended short films for children aged 4 and over, including accompanying media education material on DVD. Another offer is the FBW Youth Film Jury, in which children and young people from the age of 10 rate films and publish their recommendations on the Youth Jury website. These reviews give children and parents additional insights into age-appropriate films.
More info: https://www.fbw-filmbewertung.com/kinderfilme
Educational recommendations should not be confused with age ratings in accordance with the German Youth Protection Act. Age ratings such as those issued by the Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry(FSK) aim to protect children and young people from content that is harmful to their development. They are not a recommendation and cannot say anything about whether your child can handle the content well.
Educational recommendations assess whether a film or series is understandable, appealing and beneficial for a certain age group in terms of content and emotion. Educational assessments show how a medium can support or stimulate children and young people in their development. For example, films and series that address themes such as friendship, courage or cohesion and stand for certain values are recommended.
However, do not rely solely on recommendations, as every child develops differently. Actively accompany your child in their media use right from the start and observe them to understand how they react to certain content.
