GROWING UP HEALTHY

GROWING UP HEALTHY IN A WORLD OF DIGITAL MEDIA

IN A WORLD OF
This guide explains the dangers and risks
DIGITAL MEDIA
to children and adolescents inherent in
the new media: A guide for parents and caregivers
of children and adolescents
Impairment of brain development, communications stress, danger of
addiction, loss of privacy, sites that are unsuitable for young people,
cyberbullying and health impairment due to continuous radiation
from wireless devices.

This book illustrates the legal regulations, the safety measures

and possible actions needed to prevent dangers or to address
them appropriately. It provides an educational standpoint which
represents a responsible balance between the needs of children and
adolescents and the restrictions which are required as precautionary
measures to safeguard their development and well-being.

“It is the paradox of our digital future: Brain

development needs time and skillful play, work
and action within the real world throughout the
first 15 to 16 years. The result is the faculties of self
control and self thinking, which are fundamental
for media competence. The authors of this book,
all specialists, offer practical advice for age-
appropriate brain stimulation, encouraging
teachers and parents to find ways to protect their

Michaela Glöckler, MD
children from the unnecessary and damaging too-
early use of electronic devices. They give advice for
helping children develop their unique creativity and
learn how to learn out of their own initiative.”
Dr. Michaela Glöckler, Pediatrician

I S BN 978- 1- 943582- 3 5 - 8

351 Fairview Avenue

Suite 625
Hudson, NY 12534 9 781943 582358
First published in German as
Gesund aufwachsen in der digitalen Medienwelt
by diagnose:media, Stuttgart, Germany
kontakt@diagnose-media.org www.diagnose-media.org

English translation by Astrid Klee

Richard Brinton, Neal Carter, Michaela Glöckler and Patrice Maynard, editors

First English edition published April 2019

InterActions
37 Chandos Road, Stroud, GL5 3QT, UK
interactionspublishing@outlook.com

Second English edition published September 2019

Waldorf Publications
351 Fairview Avenue, Suite 625
Hudson, NY 12534

ISBN #978-1-943582-35-8
© 2019 Waldorf Publications

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GROWING UP HEALTHY
IN A WORLD OF
DIGITAL MEDIA
A guide for parents and caregivers
of children and adolescents
Contents

Preface to the original German edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Preface to the English edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1. Why this guide? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.1 Media education aligned with childhood development
1.2 Strengthen your child’s experiences in the real world!
1.3 How we as parents provide guidance

2. Protecting children from mobile electromagnetic (EM) radiation

– from the beginning! What we should take seriously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.1 The biological effects of mobile radiation
2.2 Precautions and recommendations

3. Early childhood (0–3 years)

Without screen media and without irradiating children’s toys! . . . . . 44
3.1 What do young children need for their healthy development?
3.2 Screen media has a different effect on children
3.3 Responsible media education during early childhood

4. Nursery school age (4–6 years)

Real world experience and movement – as much as possible! . . . . . . . 54
4.1 What do children need for their healthy development?
4.2 This is the effect of screen media at nursery school age
4.3 Responsible media education at nursery school age

5. The first years of school (6–9 years)

Supervise and limit the use of screen media! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5.1 Developmental steps in the primary school years
5.2 Psychologists and pediatricians describe the fundamental
needs of children
5.3 Responsible media education at primary school age
6. From childhood to adolescence (10–16 years)
On the path to media maturity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6.1 What do adolescents need for their healthy development?
6.2 The impact of screen media
6.3 Growing into mature and healthy media usage
6.4 Long-term learning with new media
6.5 Security software and technical support

7. The dangers of using digital media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

7.1 Stress associated with social media
7.2 Excessive media use and the dangers of addiction
7.3 Careless approach to private information
7.4 Cyberbullying and internet harassment
7.5 Sites on the net which are unsuitable for adolescents

8. Internet and the law – information for parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

8.1 The right of informational self-determination CONTENTS
8.2 Internet criminal law and the Youth Protection Act
8.3 Copyright law
8.4 Purchase agreements and liability on the internet
8.5 Legal obligations of parents

Bibliography and References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Partners/Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Preface to the original German edition

Growing up healthy in a world of digital media is an initiative for the promo-

tion of competent and age-appropriate use of digital media by children and
adolescents – for the support of parents, schools and other people affected,
and for networking with experts and specialist institutions.

The new digital media of information and communications technology (ICT),

such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks and games consoles, all take up ever
more space in the lives of children and adolescents. Currently young people
are increasingly overwhelmed by the new media, as is evident to parents and
teachers. Many observations and studies show that premature contact with
the new media by children and adolescents is associated with considerable
risks to their development and health.

The goal of the initiative, on the one hand, is to clarify the dangers and risks of
the new media, and on the other hand, to illustrate protective measures and
opportunities for action, to either avoid the dangers completely or be able to
approach them appropriately. At the core of the debate are the psychological
aspects, communication behavior, the potential for addiction, safeguarding
the private sphere and the negative health impacts due to continuous irradia-
tion from the use of wireless communication.

In the sphere of psycho-social risks especially, the discussion about appropri-

ate educational uses is already well underway and by no means concluded.
The initiatives in this guidebook aim to present an educational standpoint
which represents an appropriate balance between the needs of children and
adolescents and the restrictions which are required as precautionary meas-
ures to safeguard against the inherent dangers.

www.diagnose-media.org
Partner and sponsor for the initiative
Preface to the English edition

The commercialization of childhood has already been a heightened issue for

the past several decades. The proliferation of televisions in the 1950s and
1960s, then small electronic games and toys in the 1970s and 1980s increased
the attractions for children. But it was really only in the 1990s with the miniatur-
ization of computers, enabling interactive video games and other devices to be
held in the hand, that the capturing of children’s attention took on new dimen-
sions. Technology firms realized the huge potential. In his marketing book, Kids
as Consumers, published in 1992, James McNeal wrote that kids “are in a perfect
position to be taken.” Marketing strategies were outlined to bypass parents.

The capturing of children’s attention took off in further exponential propor-

tions with the advent of the smartphone in 2007, giving users internet con-
nection wherever they were. For families this has posed enormous problems,
with half of parents in one survey saying that smartphones have become the
number one issue in the home, with technology firms designing products for
maximum addiction potential. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said they were now
“competing with sleep.” Company lobbying has influenced government pro-
grams for computers in nurseries, despite there being no evidence to support
this as a helpful or healthy addition, and with much evidence to the contrary.
A large OECD study in 2015 of 70 countries even questioned the benefits of
computers in education in general.

In the past few years there has been a new awakening. Questions are being
raised about the appropriateness of media technology in childhood. Already
several years ago one survey noted that 90% of people thought it’s not right
how marketing people try to buy children, yet only 7% felt able to do some- PREFACE
thing. How can we take steps to protect our children?

This book fills a gap, describing the important developmental phases in child-
hood which have a bearing on the introduction of media technology, giving
practical tips for parents on how to work with it in family life in a safe way.
It acknowledges not everybody will be able to follow the same approach, yet
shows how we can think through step by step what is for the benefit and
well-being of the child and young person in our care. We are glad to have been
part of the effort to bring this informative book to the English speaking world.

Richard Brinton, InterActions

7
Introduction

Hardly a day passes that one does not hear or read something topical on the
theme of digitization. It is foreseen that in the next 20 years, 60-70% of current
professions will be replaced by electronic devices and robots. It is no wonder
that many parents think: This is the world children are growing up in – why
should they not also, from the start, be confronted by this technology and get
used to it, with the motto: Early practice makes perfect? Additionally, official
educational policies are heading precisely in this direction.

What is overlooked here is that technology operated by human consciousness

also very strongly influences its development. This is not a problem for older
adolescents and adults, if their brains had the opportunity of developing
healthily in an analogue (i.e., real) world – however, for those youths where
this process has not yet been concluded, it is a different matter. As a result
there increasingly are warning voices, especially from the spheres of science,
medicine and developmental psychology.

Research results from many studies and from large meta-analyses have
been presented which indicate the side-effects and dangers from prema-
ture digitization in nursery schools and schools: impairment of frontal lobe
development and the related autonomous thought and control capabilities,
postural and eye damage, loss of empathy, deficiencies in verbal powers of
expression, dependence on social networks, the danger of addiction – not to
mention the side-effects, not considered nearly enough yet, of electro-smog
on the nervous system which in childhood and adolescence still reacts much
more sensitively than later on.

Then it should also be considered that prominent IT greats such as Steve Jobs,
Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos did not allow their children access to smartphones and
that, according to statistics, the children of academics spend far less time in
front of a screen than the rest of the population. Developmental neurologists
such as Prof. Hüther and economic experts such as McAfee, director of Digital
Business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge,
agree that in a future world determined by information technology, what is
needed above all is creativity, social competence, as well as an ability to think
and act entrepreneurially.
In fact, the Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma who created Alibaba, the Asian
Amazon competitor, cut to the chase when he said at a world economic forum
in Davos: Instead of cramming knowledge, which after all every computer
gives you access to at the press of a button, schools should teach “values,
trust, independent thinking, teamwork,” and give more space to creative
subjects such as art, culture, music and sports. These creative and entrepre-
neurial competencies, however, have their developmental foundation in the
real world, not in the digital world! We have to consider this paradox – social
skills, creativity and imaginative thinking require for their development direct
interaction with people and discussions with others who think differently, not
with a computer. What is the solution?

All this knowledge does not help us to master everyday family life, in which the
smartphone has not only become an indispensable accompaniment, but often
also a bone of contention. What is needed is clear information and practical
tips for guiding children and adolescents at their respective ages so as to avoid
the possible damages. That is the goal of this media guidebook. It illustrates
what children and adolescents require to gain healthy entry into an age of
media technology.

This book offers perspectives from many experts and organizations – media
experts and educators – as can be seen from the list of supporters and
sponsors of this guidebook. What unites them is their love for young people
and the great responsibility we have toward them. Our hope is that as many
children and adolescents as possible can grow up healthily, so that they can
manage their digital future competently and that they will be up to the task of

INTRODUCTION
facing the demands they will encounter in life.

Dornach, Switzerland, September 2018

Michaela Glöckler, MD

9
Why this guide?
 CHAPTER 1 W h y this g u ide ?

11
1.1 Media education aligned with childhood
development

“Children mostly know what they want, however, they often

do not know what they need.”
Jesper Juul, Danish family therapist

Does this sound familiar?

When children are little: With the television or tablet switched on – our children
are immediately fascinated and quiet.

We can
zz complete our work
zz take a deep breath and relax
zz take long car trips with the family without stress
zz avoid being constantly irritated by wishes and needs…

Then when the children are older: always on the mobile phone!
zz Can’t you help in the kitchen for a change? – Not now!
zz When are you finally going to do your homework? – Later!
zz Are you still awake – it is already after 11? – So what?
zz Can’t you put away your mobile phone while we eat? – Hmm, what?

But maybe this also sounds familiar?

zz The child can play with things (from the real world) for a long time;
zz can build up his or her own fantasy world and creatively invent new things,
zz is sociable and gets along well with other children – is “team-minded.”

Children should only later engage competently and responsibly with digital
technology and future “new” media – not at the same time as adults around
them. That is the aim of this guide – and, of course, of us all. Parents might ask:
How is this goal achieved? And can this goal be reached even as children are
called to come into contact with digital media as early as possible to learn to
use its potential when very young – a goal currently and constantly proclaimed?
This guide will try to navigate you through the discussion of these questions.
The starting point for this is the overriding question:

What do children and adolescents need for healthy development?

Studies show that healthy (brain) development is the best guarantee for the
ability to use digital media competently and responsibly, in children, adoles-
cents and adults. The question is thus: Can digital media promote healthy
brain development or has it been proven to be detrimental or even dangerous?

W h y this g u ide ?
Educators, pediatricians and media experts warn
Today we know that, especially in the first years of life, screen media can play
a calamitous role, as it has an increasingly inhibiting role developmentally the
more it is used (see chapters 2, 3 and 4).

Toddlers already display the first signs of addiction-like behavior. In addition,

disturbances in brain development can easily occur, with dire consequences.

Even older children, who increasingly spend more time on screen devices, are
in danger, as is shown by the topical BLIKK-media study of 20171: More fre-
CHAPTER 1

quent media consumption can lead to speech inhibition, attention deficiency,

concentration and sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, aggression, right through
to reading and spelling disturbances.

13
Children and adolescents are only from their twelfth year – gradually
introduced in moderation – able to start using screen media inde-
pendently and appropriately.

If age restrictions for driving, cigarette and alcohol consumption are applied,
then currently there are many factors which speak in favor of applying restric-
tions to the use of digital network media!

What do developmental psychology and neurobiology say?

Developmental psychology and neurobiology have long ago researched the
requirements for healthy brain development in children: The development of
children’s senses, and especially of the brain, is all the more enhanced the
more the childhood years are filled with movement activities – running, climb-
ing, somersaulting, balancing, and much more – and the more intensively the
child is exposed to the real things of the natural environment, with fellow
human beings, animals and plants.
The maturation and increasing differentiation of the neural networks in the
frontal lobe (cortex) is an ongoing process for more than two decades: At stake
is learning to write, calculate and read, which in turn enables new memory
content and allows more differentiated mental activity to emerge.

For healthy brain development, at every age the child has to undergo charac-
teristic processes and develop corresponding abilities, which is illustrated in
the following chapters. Decisive at every developmental stage is the question
whether the child’s inner maturity is ready to meet the demands of using
media, with all of its appealing possibilities, or whether it provokes distur-
bances or even causes damage.

Media education should thus be guided by the developmental stage of

children and adolescents!

For childhood this means (see section 1.2):

“’A childhood without computers is the

best start for a digital world!’
This thesis of Gerald Lembke and Ingo
Leipner2 is not at all paradoxical: If you
reduce the impact of digital media on
children and instead allow them to
move a lot and enjoy nature, and to
handle analogue [i.e., real] things, you

W h y this g u ide ?
are promoting (!) brain development,
because adolescents and adults later
need high cognitive abilities to master
the challenges of digital media.”
Teuchert-Noodt 2016, see reading suggestion on page 17
CHAPTER 1

15
Early media use is short-sighted and risky
The very early use of media within the family and school is thus short-sighted,
highly risky and counter-productive: It is not based on the findings of educa-
tional and neuro-biological science. The widespread opinion that “if you do
not introduce media to your child at a young enough age, you are obstructing
his or her future” is a disastrous mistake.

This viewpoint is based uncritically on the claims of the media industry and
its marketing interests, which markets the early use of media using concepts
of progress which are pushed through to the ministries with the help of lobby
groups: “Boundless hopes are stoked to ensure that digital products pervade
our everyday life.”2

It seems paradoxical, but according to scientific findings:

The consumption of media too early in life hinders the development of

exactly the key concepts which are later needed for the mature mastery
of digital media.
Suggested reading

Sue Palmer (2016)

Upstart: The Case for Raising the School Starting Age
and Providing What the Under-sevens Really Need,
Floris Books

Susan Greenfield (2014)

Mind Change – How Digital Technologies Are Leaving
Their Mark on Our Brains, Random House

Interview with Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt (2017)

W h y this g u ide ?
Digital Media Are a Great Danger for Our Brain,
visionsblog.info/en/2017/05/20/digital-media-great-danger-brain
(orig. German article, Umwelt, Medizin, Gesellschaft,
pp28–32)
CHAPTER 1

17
1.2 Strengthen your child’s experiences in
the real world!

This is what we as parents wish for our children: Our children should learn to
handle both real world and digital media competently and with an awareness
of the risks. But which developmental steps does a person have to have under-
gone to be able to operate digital devices independently and confidently?

And what can we as parents do, so that we do not “sow” something in our children
now which we later do not wish to “harvest” in our adolescents (see page 12 and
page 95 ff)?

Coping in the real world is essential for coping in a virtual world

The new screen media do not appear in the lives of our children instead of
television and videos, but additionally, and increase the time they sit in front
of a screen. This leads to an increased displacement of experiences in the real
world, with the virtual world increasingly replacing the real world.

However, children have to complete their physical and emotional develop-

mental steps in the real world: This includes speech development, the devel-
opment of gross and fine motor skills, the sharpening of all the senses, testing
and exploration of things and processes in the real world, learning the rules of
social interaction and much more. It is thus generally true: The use of media
quickly becomes a problem when the child no longer has enough time for his
or her biologically necessary developmental steps in the real world.

An example: If your child does not experience enough social interaction with
other children, which e.g., allows him or her to learn to perceive the needs of
others and to consider them, then social developmental deficiencies, e.g., lack
of empathy, can arise.

On the other hand: If, e.g., your child in social interaction with other children
feels constantly rejected and feels that his or her needs are not considered,
then communication with virtual friends over Facebook, WhatsApp & co. can
be perceived as an adequate replacement. This can mean that the consump-
tion of media increases.
Or if children cannot often enough undertake or try out something with their
friends or parents, then there is a big danger that they will try to fulfill their
wishes through virtual action games or role playing games on the PC or tablet.
In the end these are futile and unhealthy attempts of a child to meet his or
her needs and to master necessary developmental steps. The use of media
can quickly become a problem, which means: The consumption of media gets
out of hand.

This behavior is further reinforced by the addictive potential that is inherent

in many of the digital screen media apps. Children need, first and foremost, to
find their way in the real world, physically and emotionally, which in any case
always remains the primary life determining world.

We now know: Only once the child has mastered his or her biologically
necessary developmental stages at the different ages, can he or she
develop the ability to competently and meaningfully manage media.

W h y this g u ide ?

What is important?
Mainly, it is important to provide children with a variety of opportunities to test
CHAPTER 1

their senses, to move their bodies, to explore nature, to communicate with

their fellow humans, in other words, to “conquer” the real world. If your child
has a hobby, e.g., likes playing football or is learning to play an instrument
or likes to build or craft something, then a smartphone is not so important
because during this time it is not used at all or is used only as an aid (e.g.,

19
for taking pictures). This creates a counter-balance to the virtual world and
protects your child in a natural way from its risks. It is therefore important
that parents try to create enthusiasm in their children for activities in the real
world. This is the best foundation for the development of media maturity in
adolescence.

Ever younger use of digital media, on the other hand, hinders exactly what
children need to learn and what we wish as parents. Children should thus be
protected from the virtual world, rather than exposing them to it too early.
This was already clearly recognized by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, founders
of Microsoft and Apple, as well as other IT bosses: Their children received
smartphones only when they turned 14. See: www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/
steve-jobs-apple-was-a-low-tech-parent.html?_r=0 and www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/why-gates-and-
jobs-shielded-their-kids-from-tech.

In the use of media, agreements and rules for children and adults are helpful
and decisive
A lot of research and scientific studies show: If parents accept the use of
media by their children without reservations, and do not restrict and control
it, they are faced with significant behavioral and health risks for their children
and adolescents. This strains and weakens the family, as well as the whole
of society (see chapters 3 and 7). The ability to restrict oneself and to put
cravings on hold is still developing in adolescents. Putting in place boundaries
and coming to agreements are thus necessary safeguards for your children.
Parents should especially not enable or allow toddlers any use at all. Ideally
children should grow up without a smartphone, tablet or PC until the age of
12 years. They should first develop a strong competence in relation to the real
world around them.

There is no doubt: We cannot withhold digital media from our children and
adolescents and cannot leave them alone with the influences and changes
which they bring about. They are constantly exposed to the temptations of
digital screen media through the media and especially through their friends. If
you decide to buy your child a smartphone or a tablet, then your child will be
exposed to risks which should be taken seriously.

It is then responsible to protect your child as much as possible by placing

boundaries early on, i.e., clear rules as to how long computer, tablet and
smartphone may be used per day, if at all (details can be found in sections
4.3, 5.3 and 6.3). This requires from you a good sense of empathy about the
developmental level of your child and enormous skills in parenting. However,
it also depends on your example, as is explained in section 1.3 in more detail.

“Essentially it means setting boundaries,

taking a stand. It means having a clear vision
and to uphold it. With loving consequences,
praise and encouragement. In constant
discussion with oneself and with one’s

W h y this g u ide ?
children.”
Katharina Saalfrank (2006)33

CHAPTER 1

21
Boundaries are often set too late
To only set limits when the internet consumption of the child is already out of
hand and stretches well beyond reasonable times inevitably leads to difficult
confrontations with the child. It also does not guarantee that they can be
enforced and that the child gets a handle on his or her internet consumption.

Many educators are in agreement: Children want boundaries and rules

in good time (!). They want clarity, they want to know where they stand.
Boundaries give children structure, stability and security, but also elicit
discussion. A lack of boundaries on the other hand causes insecurity and
cause a lack of stability and restraint in children. Even the youngest ones
need boundaries and even a baby understands the underlying rules from
the reactions of the parents (see suggested reading on page 25).

Setting boundaries – there is no formula

It is the task of the parents to decide what is important to them, which bound-
aries make sense and how they want to apply them. If children understand in
good time what is acceptable and what is not, there will be fewer arguments
later and it will be self-evident for the children. However, boundaries in family
life may prove to be unsuitable and must therefore be re-established continu-
ally, especially as children grow older.

The setting of boundaries is a process which depends on the age of the

child, and especially considers what is needed at this moment in the
youngster’s development; what the child wishes to have should be sub-
ordinate to this.

In this way children will be able to better develop an autonomous and healthy
use of digital media and will be largely protected from the risks of digital
media.
 W h y this g u ide ?
What do the experts recommend? The 3-6-9-12 rule
The French psychologist Serge Tisseron has formulated typical stages of
development and corresponding recommendations for media usage, which
parents can use as an initial guide in media education, for the age groups up
to 3 years, from 3 to 6 years, from 6 to 9 years, from 9 to 12 years and from 12
years onward, (see www.3-6-9-12.org, or healthnwellness.co.uk/children-and-screen-time-the-3-6-9-
12-rule-you-need-to-know/ for English summary).

This guide in many respects follows the recommendations

of Tisseron, among others the suggestion that until 12
CHAPTER 1

years the parents alone determine the rules regarding

media usage. Joint agreements should only be made with
the child after that.

Serge Tisseron

23
Boundaries and rules are a compromise
Growing up without any digital media, and thus without its risks, would be
best, especially for children up to the age of 12 years. This is clearly supported
by scientific findings; however, it is not given much consideration in political
decision making.

If you cannot manage to withstand current trends and societal pressure on

the family, you may have to give in partially and decide on a compromise.

All recommendations about media usage in this guide book are therefore
an expression of perhaps a reasonable middle way and are to be under-
stood as a fallback option. Nevertheless, this is clear: From a scientific
point of view you are not protecting your child from the risks to his or
her health and biological development!
Suggested reading

Save Childhood Movement

Manifesto for the Early Years: Putting Children First.
Available as a PDF document:
www.savechildhood.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PUTTING-CHILDREN-
FIRST.pdf

Lou Harvey-Zahra (2016)

Happy Child, Happy Home: Conscious Parenting and
Creative Discipline, Floris Books
(See Chapter 7, What’s stopping play today? and other
chapters for creative alternatives)

Aric Sigman (2019)

A Movement for Movement – Screen Time, Physical

W h y this g u ide ?
Activity and Sleep: A New Integrated Approach for
Children
Available as a PDF document:
www.api-play.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/01/API-Report-A-
Movement-for-Movement-A4FINALWeb.pdf

Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn (2014)

Everyday Blessings: Mindfulness for Parents, Piatkus
(See Chapter 6 on Media Madness)
CHAPTER 1

25
1.3 How we as parents provide guidance

“There is no use in bringing up children –

they will copy everything you do anyway!”
Unknown

Parents are the example

Parents are the example for their children. The example that parents set
for their children forms their mode of behavior, attitudes and feelings. Your
example forms your children more than any formative measures: It can thus
significantly support or hinder your child’s healthy development (Saalfrank
200633).

It is therefore important that especially you as parent are not constantly

absorbed by a smartphone or the internet, thereby having less and less time
for your children.

Be conscious of devoting your attention totally to your children when

you are with them (see image). A smartphone (or tablet) is disruptive!
The more you speak and communicate non-verbally with your children,
the better your children’s speech ability, thinking and feeling develop.
During communal mealtimes at the table, screen media should be taboo
for all family members.

Parents can easily record their own media habits. There are Apps for recording
and managing screen usage behavior, e.g., for a smartphone:

zz SPACE App, formerly Breakfree

zz Menthal App (menthal.org)
zz ‘Screen Time’ and App Limits features as part of Apple’s new iOS12 phones
For a comprehensive listing of ‘Screen Time Management Apps’ see: www.
screenagersmovie.com/parenting-apps/
Parents are guides and supporters
Don’t only be an example. Also be interested in what your children are doing
on the screen: For example, in the games they are engaged with. Take the
time to discover and experience what media has to offer, together with your
children: Then you can talk about what you have found, elaborate on it and
explain what your children do not yet understand.

This can have a very positive effect on the parent-child relationship. Discus-
sions are opportunities to convey your own evaluation of the quality and

W h y this g u ide ?
content of what has been experienced.

Adolescents need support, and parents can, e.g., enable balance in the real
world (by means of communal activities) or discuss fundamental questions
with them: How indispensible are mobile phone, etc., really? How would life
be if there was no smartphone or tablet or if it was not constantly being used?
Can we try this for a while?
CHAPTER 1

27
Suggested reading

Dr. Elizabeth Kilbey (2017)

Unplugged Parenting: How to Raise Happy, Healthy
Children in the Digital Age, Headline Home

Edmond Schoorel (2016)

Managing Screen Time – Raising Balanced Children in
the Digital Age, Floris Books

Sue Palmer (2006)

Toxic Childhood – How the Modern World Is Damaging
Our Children and What We Can Do about It, Orion

Jesper Juul (2006)

No! The Art of Saying No! with a Clear Cconscience,
AuthorHouse
Parents are the media custodians
Parents need to be informed about the different technical possibilities of
digital devices (smartphone, tablet, router, PC, etc.). However, more important
is the question: Are these devices suitable for children? What can be done
about this? If these devices are already being used by your children, then the
positioning of technical devices (not in the child’s room), the activation of filter
software or the installation of child safety programs, and so forth (see section
6.5) are of great importance if you want to protect your child from the risks.

Many of the risks in the use of digital media have meanwhile become commonly
known (see chapters 2 and 7). A discussion with your children or adolescents
about these risks and how they can be avoided is necessary.

Regulations on the protection of children and young people are different in

every country. In Germany there is the Youth Protection Act. (the JuSchG – see
www.t1p.de/uyan). It states:

Even if children or adolescents under 16 years have been given a mobile

or smartphone by parents/grandparents/… as “gifts,” the parents carry
the responsibility for what the children do with their smartphones.
Correspondingly, they have the right, and in principle also the duty, of
controlling the activities of their children or adolescents.

Further discussion of regulations is in chapters 7 and 8, with indicators for

W h y this g u ide ?
finding those for the country you are in.

CHAPTER 1

29
Protecting children
from electromagnetic
mobile radiation
From the beginning!
What we should take
seriously
 CHAPTER 2 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation

31
2.1 The biological effects of mobile
radiation

More than 40 years of intensive research has shown that even exposure to
electromagnetic radiation below safety limits is associated with significant
risks for the health of people, as well as for the health of animals and plants.

Damage to health from EM radiation

The health risks associated with the effects of radiation are often under
estimated or even ignored. Scientific studies are providing ever clearer proof:
Especially continual radiation below safety limits, which many people are
exposed to as a result of the steady increase of radiation devices (e.g., Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, UMTS, etc.), is a major source of health risks. To what extent these
risks have already become a reality, is shown by the annual statistics of health
insurance companies.3 4

The behavioral risks accompanying smartphones, etc., are negatively

increased especially in children and adolescents as a result of the health
dangers of mobile communications radiation. As a result, children
already display decreased performance capacity at school.
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
Warnings worldwide even from the mobile communications industry
For years already, international appeals from doctors, scientific, medical and
environmental organizations, the European Union, the European Parliament
and many other institutions have been warning about the health risks of
mobile radiation and have been demanding a reduction of radiation and
urgent protective measures for children and adolescents. The German Federal
Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz) in its recom-
mendations confirms that a health risk cannot be precluded:5

zz Rather use cable connections if wireless technology can be avoided.

zz Avoid the installation of central Wi-Fi access points in the immediate vicinity
of places where people often spend time, for example at work.

Meanwhile there are even warnings from the industry itself:

In their safety instructions, manufacturers indicate that their mobile

device should be kept at a minimum distance from the body of the user
so that the legal safety limits for microwave radiation are not exceeded.

For example, with the smartphone Blackberry Torch 9800, a distance of at

least 25mm should be maintained, especially from the abdomen of pregnant
women (exposure of the foetus) and adolescents (exposure of the testes).
According to the instruction manual for the recent iPhone X, it is recommend-
ed: “To reduce exposure to RF energy, use a hands-free option, such as the
built-in speakerphone, the supplied headphones, or other similar accessories.”
Most phone manuals give similar advice.

An instruction manual for Speedport Routers, used by German Telekom, con-

tains the following safety warning:

“The integrated antennae of your Speedport sends and receives radio signals,
for example, for the installation of your WLAN. Avoid installing your Speedport
in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms, children’s rooms and living rooms to
minimize, as much as possible, the exposure to electromagnetic fields.”
CHAPTER 2

In 2017, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) of France disclosed that 9 out
of 10 of hundreds of mobile phones tested (in 2015) exceeded government
radiation limits when in the position they are most often used: in contact with
the body. The government had refused to disclose these test results until
pressured through court actions. (see ehtrust.org, searching on their website for
“ANFR” or “Phonegate”)

33
In many countries (in France, Belgium, Israel, among others) these warnings
have already resulted in various legal regulations for the safety of children
(see suggested reading at the end of this chapter).

Short-term effects
The short-term biological effects of mobile communications radiation are
evident in many children and adolescents especially in

zz (increasing and continuous) headaches, tiredness and exhaustion, distur-

bances in sleep or falling asleep
zz agitation, irritability, nervousness, depressive tendencies
zz memory and concentration disturbances, dizziness and buzzing in the ears
zz learning and behavioral disturbances
zz heart and circulatory disturbances (racing heart), to some extent also audi-
tory and visual disturbances

The effects (so-called microwave syndrome) have been confirmed by numer-

ous studies: e.g., a Munich study of 2008 determined that 9% of the underage
participants – which for Germany is a good one million children and adoles-
cents – feel affected by mobile communications radiation.

In 2016 a study for a health insurance company for the road construction
industry (BKK VBU) demonstrated that almost 74% of grade seven children
already regularly suffer from headaches. A recent meta-study was able to
show that the headaches increased significantly with increased duration or
frequency of use of mobile communications devices.6
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
In many cases the symptoms disappear after a recovery period (at least 2
hours without radiation), but often only when the exposure to radiation
stops long-term.

Children have a greater need for protection, as in their case the radiation
penetrates much further into the head than in adults (see illustration on this
page: Absorption of radiation in the head region according to age7).

The child’s brain is thus exposed at 3 times the level of an adult, the bones even
10 times more. The nervous and immune systems of children are not yet fully
developed and therefore their development is more sensitive to disturbance.

Absorption of radiation in the head region according to age

5 years 10 years adult

This especially increases the risk of behavioral disturbances. This is proven, in

addition to other studies, especially by the results of a WHO study (Divan et
al.8) with 29,000 children: Children who, while in the womb and/or during early
childhood (up to 7 years), were exposed to the radiation of mobile radiation
devices (included are also wireless baby monitors) significantly more often
developed behavioral problems, including ADHD. This is a clear indication for
the causes of the dramatic increase worldwide of children displaying hyperac-
tivity or behavioral problems.

The risk of behavioral disturbances was especially clearly increased (by about
CHAPTER 2

80%), if the mother regularly used a mobile telephone or spent time near radi-
ation sources, or also if the child had used a mobile phone before the age of 7
years. This is because the radiation penetrates the body by a few centimeters
and can thus disturb the development of the sensitive foetus.

35
ADHD increase in % by age groups

Relative changes for different age

groups of those who were
diagnosed with a hyperkinetic
disturbance, index: 2006 = 100

9 – 11 up to 19 all age
years years groups
Source: Medical report of Barmer Medical Insurance 2013

In 2006 In 2011
337,000 boys and 472,000 boys and
105,000 girls 149,000 girls
were affected were affected

The Barmer medical report of 20134 shows that the risk of behavioral prob-
lems as a result of mobile communications radiation has had an impact for a
long time already: Within 5 years of the introduction of smartphones, there
was a sharp increase in ADHD cases of about 42% in children and adolescents
up to the age of 19 (see illustration above). Furthermore, there is evidence that
suggests that the risks of miscarriage and deformity are increased.
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
Long-term effects
The long-term biological effects are, for example, an increased danger of cancer,
the negative effect on sperm and fertility, as well as neurological disturbances.

Today we know that for children and adolescents who begin to use mobile
telephones before the age of 20, there is an increased risk of malignant brain
tumors in later life.

The younger the child is and the longer he or she uses a mobile phone,
the more the risk of a tumor increases – up to five times – (Environmental
Working Group 2009, Hardell 2009, 20118). Since the introduction of mobile
communication in Germany in 1993, the number of children (up to age 15
years) afflicted with cancer continually increases every year (by about 25% in
20 years, Robert Koch Institute 2013). In other countries the developments are
even more dramatic.

Cancer in children and adolescents under the age of 20 years has a much
shorter latency period (c. 15-20 years) than in adults, which can be up to 40
years. The increased risk of cancer in children and adolescents due to mobile
communications radiation can thus have a fatal outcome for the middle phase
of their life.
CHAPTER 2

Further information about mobile wireless radiation and its effects can be
found on the websites of emf:data and the (German site) diagnose:funk:

www.emfdata.org and www.diagnose-funk.org

37
2.2 Precautions and recommendations

During pregnancy
zz Completely avoid using a mobile zz Only use a router with Wi-Fi which
or smartphone or other wireless can be switched off. If possible
mobile devices such as DECT cord- avoid Wi-Fi in your apartment or
less phones and Wi-Fi supported only switch it on when necessary
devices. and for a short time. Do not make
your router available to the public
zz Possibly replace your mobile/ as it then radiates continually!
smartphone with a landline phone
(if possible with an electro-smog zz Stay away from radiation sourc
reduced receiver, using a Piezo es, radiating routers or access
crystal, which can be found on the points, as well as from people
internet with the search keywords who are using radiating mobile/
Piezo telephone). If unavoidable, smartphones/tablets, or ask them
activate your mobile/smartphone to switch their mobiles to flight
only when it is essential and oth- mode.
erwise have it in flight mode (all
radiation is switched off).
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
After birth
zz Avoid using a mobile/smartphone zz Do not place a switched on mobile
near your child as much as possi- in your baby’s pushchair.
ble! Keep conversations short, and
use hands-free equipment. Switch zz If unavoidable, when phoning with
off your mobile/smartphone as a mobile or DECT telephone, keep
often as possible. a distance from other people,
especially children.
zz Do not use DECT cordless phones
and Wi-Fi. Use radiation free alter- zz Urge your neighbors and also the
natives, such as landlines, wired administration of nursery and
computers and tablets. primary schools to minimize the
exposure of children to radiation.
zz For baby monitors use only devic-
es which do not hinder or affect
biological development, thus no
devices using the DECT standard.

CHAPTER 2

39
Children, adolescents and adults
The Vienna medical council published the following recommendations in 2016,
which are also supported by many other organizations.

zz Principally the following applies: Use radiation protection (e.g., www.

a mobile/smartphone as little as healthy-house.co.uk/electro – click
possible to phone! Minimize your on [mobile phone and tablet
personal exposure to radiation. protection])

zz Children under 8 years should zz “Distance is your friend!” – Prefera-

not use mobile/smartphones or bly never phone with your mobile/
cordless phones. Children between smartphone on your ear! Use the
8 and 16 should only use mobile/ built-in hands-free functions or
smartphones in emergencies. headsets. As a compromise keep it
as far from your head as possible
zz At home and in the workplace you or use a mobile phone case with
should phone using the landline radiation protection.
and only surf via wire connection:
Internet access via a LAN cable zz Go offline more often and activate
does not radiate, is fast and data flight mode as often as possible –
secure. Continually radiating for functions such as listening to
DECT cordless phones, Wi-Fi music, camera, alarm, calculator
access points, data sticks and LTE or offline games it is not necessary
homebase stations (Box, Cube, to have an internet connection!
etc.) should be avoided! If Wi-Fi is
indispensable, then switch it off zz Fewer Apps means less radiation –
as often as possible, as it burdens minimize the number of Apps and
health and is, in the long run, deactivate the background servic-
damaging. es on your smartphone which are
mostly superfluous. The deactiva-
zz Do not carry your switched on tion of “mobile services” or “data
mobile/smartphone on your body, network mode” almost turns your
not in your trouser pocket (influ- smartphone back into an old fash-
ences later fertility), or in your ioned mobile phone: You can still
breast pocket (damages, e.g., be reached, but avoid much of the
breast tissue, heart function and unnecessary radiation as a result
lungs). When not in use store it at of the background activity of apps.
a distance from your body, e.g., in After activating the apps again
your hand bag or school satchel. you should wait about 5 minutes
Use a mobile phone case with before using it at all and keep a
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
distance from the smartphone, as charts-sar-levels-popular-phones/), for OTG
all apps will load missing data at capacity (do a search for “OTG
the same time, which can lead to phones”), as well as an external
higher radiation exposure. aerial terminal! The OTG function
(OTG = On The Go), using a USB
zz Avoid phoning on a mobile phone Ethernet adapter via an USB-OTG
in places with poor reception cable (e.g., search for keywords
(basement, lift, bus and train, etc.) USB-OTG-network adaptor) and
– in such situations the mobile a network cable especially allow
phone increases the transmission sharing of data from a smartphone
capacity. In cases of poor reception or tablet with a cable over the
use a headset or, if possible, the router, thus avoiding Wi-Fi! You
hands-free facility! will find many instructions also
as video if searching for “connect
zz When buying a mobile phone, look phone to internet with USB-OTG-
out for the lowest possible SAR rate network adaptor” or similar.
(see emfacademy.com/cell-phone-radiation-
CHAPTER 2

41
Behavior in the car
zz Do not use radiating devices in zz Many countries have complete
vehicles (car, bus, train), especially bans on the use of SMS or internet
do not phone – without an exter- usage while driving because the
nal antenna the radiation in the distraction is a danger to oneself
vehicle is higher. Besides this, one and others in traffic.
is distracted while driving and one
is disturbing fellow passengers on
public transport.

Further information
There are many websites with further information on research on the effects
of EMF radiation as well as products for reducing exposure. A few sites are
listed below, but others also exist:

www.emfdata.org/en – the ‘diagnose:funk‘ database ‘EMF:data‘ gives an overview

of research in the field of non-ionizing radiation emitted by mobile telephone
transceiver stations, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet PCs, wireless net-
work routers, cordless DECT telephones and other devices.

emfacademy.com – a collection of articles with a wealth of information about

EMF safety, protection, and resources.
 P rotecting children f ro m electro m agnetic m obile radiation
www.procon.org – attempts to provide information and research on the pros
and cons of controversial issues, including EMF radiation.

www.healthy-house.co.uk – provides products and advice on a wide range of

allergies and sensitivities, including EMF radiation exposure.

Suggested reading

Peter Hensinger, Isabel Wilke (2016)

Wireless Communication Technologies: New Study
Findings Confirm Risks of Non-ionizing Radiation,
original German in magazine, Umwelt-medizin-
gesellschaft 3/2016 (pictured left), available in English
as PDF: https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/
Hensinger-Wilke-2016.pdf

Nicolas Pineault (2017)

The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs: How to Fix Our Stupid
Use of Technology, CreateSpace Independent Publish-
ing Platform

Internet:

EMF Academy (last update 7 February 2019)

9 Examples of EMF Radiation In Everyday Life (With Solutions)
emfacademy.com/emf-radiation-everyday-life/
CHAPTER 2

Environmental Health Trust

10 Tips To Reduce Cell Phone Radiation
ehtrust.org/take-action/educate-yourself/10-things-you-can-do-to-reduce-the-cancer-risk-from-cell-phones/

43
 CHAPTER 3 EARLY CHILDHOOD (0–3 YEARS)

45
3.1 What do young children need for their
healthy development?

For their entire further life it is decisive that children learn to be creative
and imaginative. For this reason the actual environment of the child
should contain various stimuli which challenge the imagination, as logi-
cal abstract thinking in adolescence develops from this.

Anything which takes away from the child the inner exertion of building his
or her personal imaginative pictures should be excluded from the child’s
environment. This especially includes films and screen games which do not
challenge the child’s own creative ability.

For healthy development children need an environment which stimulates

them in various ways. First and foremost it should encourage movement and
should provoke the dexterity of grasping movements. A healthy environment
for children is above all a space to move, a space which helps them to develop
their fine and gross motor skills as much as possible.

To develop their senses in a healthy manner, children require direct experi-

ences in the real world. It is thus very helpful if one can go out into nature as
often as possible with young children, so that they can intensively experience
animals and plants with the changes in the seasons and can include this in
their play activities.
Children need consistent caregivers in their proximity who speak with them
often. People with whom they can have conversations, people who tell them
fairy tales, sagas and stories. It is of the utmost importance that people are
talking to the child. Recordings with stories at this age are not meaningful.

For the nurturing of the parent-child bond it is very helpful to set aside a fixed
time during the day in which the father or the mother does something togeth-
er with the child. The length of time is less important than the intensity, the
quality of the time spent together. Good bonding is a secure basis from which
the child can actively explore the environment.

Tina (30) and Bernd (32) say:

When our little one (6 months) is awake, it is screen-free

time. No PC, no smartphone and we hang a cloth over the
television. A good side-effect of this is that the two bigger
ones (5 and 8 years) also watch less than before, so as they
say: Out of sight, out of mind. They have become great at

EARLY CHILDHOOD (0–3 YEARS)

entertaining themselves and do not need continual
entertainment from the screen babysitter.30

CHAPTER 3

47
If parents keep in mind the essential developmental steps of their children
while they are growing up, they can more easily recognize and understand
why and which limits are necessary in the use of digital media. Fundamental
is “sensomotor integration,” as described in this chapter. It forms a solid and
necessary basis for later media maturity. The further stages 2 to 6 toward
media maturity (see illustration below) are developed in the following age
groups. Every stage has its very own justification and cannot be skipped.
Otherwise the development of your child is significantly compromised and
can be damaged.

5. Critical reflection
s
kill

4. Uptake of information
ns
ctio
ele

3. Production skills
6. S

2. Communication skills

1. Sensomotor integration

Developmental stages of the child before reaching media maturity

(see Bleckmann 20129 and suggested reading page 78)
3.2 Screen media has a different effect
on children

EARLY CHILDHOOD (0–3 YEARS)

There is a growing demand for “iToys,” conventional toys with an integrated
tablet or dolls and soft toys with built in Smart or baby phones, even for the
youngest children.

iToys are intended to condition young children to the world of tomorrow.

This development, where we increasingly offer digital screen media to the
youngest children, is cleverly associated with the message that it is important
to introduce digital media as early as possible – already at early nursery school
age – to children and adolescents, so that they can get used to digital media
and prepare for the digital world.

This message is increasingly accepted (see miniKim-study 201410) by many

parents (in Germany by around 35%): the time that children spend in front of
the screen of a tablet or smartphone is correspondingly increasing at a rapid
rate (in the USA children younger than two years see screens already for 90
CHAPTER 3

minutes per day). What does this mean for your child?

49
Why screen media is damaging to toddlers
For adults media presents a gateway into the world. For children it is different:
The younger the child is, the greater the possible damage. The longer a child
spends in front of a screen, the stronger the impairments in development can
be. Why is this so?

For the maturity and growth of the brain a variety of sensory impressions are
required: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching and feeling, a sense of
gravity, the sense of one’s own movement and many more. A newborn child
needs six to eight years to substantially develop its senses.

The early use of interactive screen media provides a two-dimensional

and therefore restricted sensory impression on a smooth, always con-
sistent surface. The operation of this is mostly accompanied by a lack of
movement experience within the entire body.

This one-sided, undemanding sensory experience mostly represents time

lost for childhood development, as the joy in movement is missing. Healthy
brain development is hindered as a result (Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt 2017, see
suggested reading on page 17).
Watching television programs is damaging to a baby or toddler: The incom-
prehensible, often loud and garish content is overwhelming and can lead to
anxiety and difficulty in sleeping. If the television is “merely” playing in the
background, then speaking interaction and eye contact are both reduced. The
delicate communicative signals of the adult are no longer perceived, as has
been shown by the recent research results of speech researchers.

Screen media takes the place of direct contact with the real world and
with other people. Pediatricians thus recommend: Do not expose your
child to a screen! Also not passively. Children learn to speak better by
the end of nursery school the more they have a media-free environment
– alone and also together with their parents.

Television, tablet and smartphone time is non-talking time

Telephoning or chatting parents are physically present, but are only “inciden-
tally” involved with their child. The same is true for parents using a tablet or
PC. Bonding researchers warn:

EARLY CHILDHOOD (0–3 YEARS)

An excessive use of TV, PC/tablet and smartphone disturbs the parent-
child bond. This can be damaging to the relationship!

For the secure bonding between the parents and child, the first months and
years of life are especially important. A stable parent-child relationship, where
direct contact with the child is not shared by media, is an indispensible foun-
dation for your child’s healthy and happy life – and a bonus for the parents.

CHAPTER 3

51
Suggested reading

Susan Greenfield (2014)

Mind Change – How Digital Technologies Are Leaving
Their Mark on Our Brains, Random House

Richard Freed (2015)

Wired Child; Reclaiming Childhood in a Digital Age,
Create Space Independent Publishing Platform

Martin L Kutscher, MD (2016)

Digital Kids, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Internet:

Delaney Ruston MD (2018)

Groundbreaking Study Discovers an Association between Screen
Time and Actual Brain Changes, Tech-Talk-Tuesday blog on ‘Screen-
agers: Growing up in the Digital Age,’ www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/
groundbreaking-study-discovers-an-association-between-screen-time-and-actual-brain-changes

Experiences Build Brain Architecture, Harvard University Center on the

Developing Child, YouTube video, youtu.be/VNNsN9IJkws
3.3 Responsible media education during
early childhood

zz The times of intensive affection media. There should be no televi-

toward your child with a lot of sion, computer or smartphone in
physical contact and closeness are the immediate environment of the
very important for the mother and child.
child. Allow yourself these free
times! zz Your child does not need screen-
based toys. The featureless surface
zz Quiet times are important for your and the one-sided operations
baby because then he or she has (swiping and tapping) only inad-
the leisure to explore his or her equately stimulate the develop-
own body and environment. ment of the brain. The mobile
wireless radiation which is often
zz You also need time to rest. connected to such toys is a danger

EARLY CHILDHOOD (0–3 YEARS)

Therefore get your child used to to the biological development of
entertaining him- or herself a bit. your child which should be taken
Even a young child can do that. seriously!
First for five, then ten, then fifteen
minutes. It may be an effort in the zz Recommended “media” for early
beginning, but over the years it is childhood: human language, direc-
an advantage for the parents and ted at your child, books which are
for the child. read or looked at together, and
music which is made by oneself or
zz The environment for early childhood listened to together.
should ideally be free of technical CHAPTER 3

53
 CHAPTER 4 NURSERY SCHOOL AGE (4–6 YEARS)

55
4.1 What do children need for their healthy
development?

It is important that children, through many varied primary experiences,

encounter the real, analogue world in as many aspects as possible. All of
this together promotes the healthy growth of the brain and creates the
basis in later years for successful learning.

zz For the development of the senses and sensomotor integration children need a
variety of unmediated experiences: natural phenomena, experiences in the
country and with animals, with instruments, etc.
zz For the development of fine motor skills and creativity frequent encourage-
ment to draw, craft, sculpt, etc., are very helpful. The repeated experience
of children that they can make something themselves contributes to their
self-confidence.
zz Cognitive development is promoted by lots of movement.
zz Real instead of virtual play promotes creativity. The possibility of exploring
“mysterious” (but safe) play environments, and to do this with others of the
same age, should be offered repeatedly.
zz A manageable spatial environment and a rhythmic repetition of daily events
provide a sense of security.
zz Direct contact with other people stimulates the development of speech.
zz Interest and attention from the parents strengthen the parent-child bond:
“You are important to us!”
zz A lot of physical contact with others, especially within the family, stimulates
all the senses.
Suggested reading

Richard House, editor (2011)

Too Much, Too Soon, Hawthorn Press

Wendy Ellyatt (2017)

Healthy and Happy – Children’s Wellbeing in the
2020s, Save Childhood Movement. Available as a PDF

NURSERY SCHOOL AGE (4–6 YEARS)

document: www.savechildhood.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/
Healthy-and-Happy-W-Ellyatt-Full-paper-2017-v2.pdf

Kim John Payne (2010)

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power
of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids,
Ballantine Books

CHAPTER 4

57
4.2 This is the effect of screen media at
nursery school age

All screen media, such as TV, PC, smartphone, Gameboy, etc., activate only
eyes and ears. The other senses are hardly stimulated at all. This disables the
development of fine motor skills, but, above all, sensomotor integration (the
connection of sensory experiences).

Extensive or frequent consumption of screen media replaces the time the

child can spend with other people and shortens the time for direct contact
with the real world.

Screen media reduces speech communication with other people, and the
child’s imagination withers as a result of alien images. Initially a restless child
is captured in front of the screen, but afterward the restlessness increases.

Time in front of the screen reduces the movement radius of the child and
promotes lack of motion. As a result, excessive weight, postural damage,
short-sightedness, among others, are common. “According to the latest
BLIKK study, 70% of the children in nursery school use their parent’s
smartphone for more than a half hour. The results are disturbances in
speech development and concentration, physical hyperactivity, inner
restlessness, through to aggressive behavior.”1 11
Therefore: Limit the time children spend in front of a screen. This applies
to TV and computers of any kind, as well as tablets, smartphones, Game-
boys, etc.

4.3 Responsible media education at

nursery school age

The appropriate, competent and creative handling of the possibilities of screen

media does not presuppose technical and mental abilities which have to be
learned in childhood. For this reason the development of speech ability and
creativity are prioritized during nursery school age. Therefore, storytelling,
children’s books and – in moderation – audio media are suggested. Regular
time reading to your child and also bedtime stories which are told freestyle

NURSERY SCHOOL AGE (4–6 YEARS)

are mutually enjoyable and give the child a sense of security. In addition, this
is preparation for later reading readiness.

CHAPTER 4

59
zz No screen devices (TV, PC, tablet, zz Beware of advertisements! Better
etc.) in the child’s room! than commercial television are
DVDs (no advertisements, short
zz Television/films should be restrict- programs). This way you avoid
ed to 10 to 20 minutes per day much of the grueling, whining
– but not every day – and once a (“Mommy, buy that for me!”).
week for half an hour.
zz Get the grandparents “on board.”
zz If your child wants to watch a The rules set by the parents can
children’s film, then watch the be applied without (or at least with
film with your child. In this way less) stress. Agreements with the
the entertainment is a communal parents of your children’s friends
experience and your child can can also be very helpful.
share his or her questions and
experiences directly with you.
 NURSERY SCHOOL AGE (4–6 YEARS)
Nadja (35) single parent, Lukas (10) and Johanna (5):

With Lukas I used withholding TV as a threat: “If you

don’t tidy up, then no TV!” That really degenerated.
Eventually he wouldn’t do anything without being
threatened by “TV withdrawal.“ It was stressful
rather than a solution. It was difficult to get out of
that situation again, but we managed. With the little
one from the beginning I didn’t allow myself to get
sucked in.30

CHAPTER 4

61
The first years
of school
(6–9 years)
Supervise and limit the use
of screen media!
 CHAPTER 5 T he f irst y ears o f school ( 6 – 9 y ears )

63
5.1 Developmental steps in the primary
school years

Mastering reading and writing is a prerequisite for the use of modern

media. By specializing children too early in the use of computers for
acquiring knowledge, due to a presumed requirement of modernity,
one ultimately makes them media incompetent. Computers have not
replaced books, but have been added as an enhancement.

The emphasis in child development is on the acquisition of cultural abilities:

Now they can ride a bicycle, go on a skateboard, learn to swim, understand
how to use tools meaningfully, learn to master an instrument and above all,
write, read and calculate. Children thus profit much more if they are supported
in learning how to read – rather than in the consumption of media – so they
can, together with father or mother, conquer the universe of children’s literature.
The circle of childhood relationships expands beyond the family. Especially
friendships with children of the same age become very important. Here conflicts
often develop. The children here have to learn to understand others, to con-
sider them, etc.

In such situations it is very important that the adults are perceived as trustwor-
thy and can thus be examples of how to deal with anger, rage or aggression.

The child is not yet able to precisely evaluate his abilities. One should thus pro-
tect him or her from big mistakes. However, over-protection damages self-confi-
dence. Mistakes and failures are a necessary part of life and of learning. Those
who continue despite obstacles and are successful, gain in self-assurance and

( 6 – 9 y ears )
learn to correctly evaluate themselves.

5.2 Psychologists and pediatricians describe

the fundamental needs of children

o f school
The following fundamental needs of children, the fulfillment of which consider
ably contribute to their healthy development, were formulated by pediatri-
cians based on their own observations. The most important are:31

T he f irst y ears
zz Reliable love and security
Children desire a stable, reliable and loving relationship with their parents
and their social environment. Included in this is the reliability and manage-
ability of everyday occurrences.

zz Praise and recognition

Especially in the school environment children need a positive prevailing
mood which strengthens their self-confidence.

zz New developmentally appropriate experiences

CHAPTER 5

Children are curious. They want to discover the world, absorb new expe-
riences, thoughts, images, feelings, and above all gain new motor skills.
While growing up, children have to master a series of developmental steps,
for the attainment of which they need very particular experiences.

65
 Examples:
Independence and responsibility
In every child there is an independent individuality who wants to devel-
op. This requires training fields in which the first steps toward acquiring
independent responsibility can be tried and practised.

Boundaries and structure

For the development of a healthy experience of identity children need
clear, meaningful rules and boundaries, which the children respect as a
result of the bonding experiences with their caregivers.

zz Physical integrity and security

It is a general and self-evident conviction that this fundamental need of
children is respected. Again and again we see that this fundamental need
is disregarded worldwide.

5.3 Responsible media education

at primary school age

Encourage your child to develop friendships, to play sports, to learn an

instrument! Surprising but true: This is the best prevention against com-
puter game addiction, cyberbullying, contents which are inappropriate
for children and swindles on the internet. Such a solid anchoring in life,
real success and true recognition, protect the child from seeking “cheap”
substitutes in virtual life.

zz No screen devices in the child’s room. children should not spend time in
Children with their own TV spend front of a screen (television, tablet,
about one hour more in front of a PC) every day, weekly at most five
screen than children without their hours (see section 6.5). With more
own TV. than five hours weekly in front of
a screen their reading and calcula-
zz Clear time limits: 30 to max 45 tion abilities become impaired.
minutes per day, but above all,
 ( 6 – 9 y ears )
zz If at all possible, no PC or internet and advertisements which are
usage. If this is not possible, then unsuitable for children.
ensure that your child uses the
PC or internet accompanied by zz A safe domain to surf from which
an adult. Speak to your children has been created especially for
about the contents and what he or children so that they can move
she experiences. In this way you within the internet without

o f school
can nurture the media maturity of encountering content which is
your children. unsuitable. There are a number of
possibilities – each site or app will
zz If it is not always possible to have its strengths and weakness-
accompany your children while es, depending on what you are
they are using the PC, then create looking for. For a listing of kid-safe

T he f irst y ears
their own user account for your browsers and search sites, see
children on the PC, laptop or tablet www.commonsensemedia.org and search
with limited rights (in the control for “kid safe browsers”; alternately
panel or user accounts). see under “Parenting Apps” at www.
screenagersmovie.com/parenting-apps. Some
zz Activate time limits with time operate on a single device, others
limiting software (per day and per over multiple devices for the whole
week) and install child safety soft- family including mobile phones.
ware (see section 6.5). Choose those that do not require
Wi-Fi for setting up, and ensure
CHAPTER 5

zz Children between six and nine that the devices are connected to
years should – if at all – only be the internet by means of a cable
allowed in safe surf domains and and not over Wi-Fi (see page 41).
not on sites like YouTube: You-
Tube’s portal also contains films

67
zz Some special search engines for zz Observe the voluntary age restric-
children are given on www.safesearch- tions set by the film industry (Film
kids.com. Install a children’s search Rating System of the Motion Picture
engine as a browser start page! A Association of America: www.mpaa.
search engine for children often org or British Board of Film Classi-
needs coupling with a safe brows- fication: www.bbfc.co.uk) and enter-
er (see last bullet point) as some tainment software ratings (Enter-
bring up links which take you tainment Software Rating Board:
outside of a kids‘ domain within www.esrb.org) (see pages 73 and 123).
another click or two.
zz In the lower grades PC homework
zz Protect access to app-stores with should remain a rare exception.
a password so that your children If it is unavoidable, then demand
cannot download apps them- a supervised media room at the
selves. Be wary of free offers! school. Then: no PC and internet
Always download apps yourself usage without protective software
and try them out before your or adult supervision.
child plays with them alone. Check
whether the agreement which the zz No personal mobile or smart-
app requires spies on your private phone for your child at primary
sphere – if it does, then do not school age! If it has to be, then
install under any circumstances! restricted to telephone and SMS
Always deactivate automatic usage (see section 6.5)! Internet
updates so that you can check access (e.g., at a flat rate) is not
whether there are new costs or recommended as it carries many
agreements. risks.

zz App recommendations for chil-

dren – arranged according to age –
can be found under: www.common
sensemedia.org/app-reviews. There are
also other sites – search for “app
recommendations for kids.” Note
that on many sites the age rec-
ommendations are from the app
developers and not necessarily
neutral bodies. Parents will need
to exercise their own discretion.
Tobias (38) and Maria (32) say:

When Jonas had problems with learning to read,

everyone recommended: Read to him more, less
television, less time on the games console and with
DVDs. Jonas now is allowed screen access only on
weekends. The expected big protest did not happen.
Admittedly, the first few weeks were really hard,
there was a lot of boredom and whining. But now,
because of the clear rules, it is a lot more relaxed.
And Jonas’ reading has improved a lot.30

( 6 – 9 y ear s )
o f s ch o o l
T he f i r s t y ear s

zz New Zealand, Dr. Aric Sigman: Report to Family First, NZ 2015: “Media Use
An Emerging Factor in Child and Adolescent Health
zz World Health Organization (WHO) 24 April 2019, Digital Media Guidelines.
CHAPTER 5

69
zz I should not have assumed, but
 CHAPTER 6 FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)

71
6.1 What do adolescents need for their
healthy development?

Puberty is a time of massive physical and emotional changes. Mood swings

are often a part of everyday life. The child emerges from the sense of social
protection which he or she has had until now and seeks his or her own rooted-
ness in the world. This is a long process which occurs over many years. During
this time, adolescents have to master a series of developmental steps.

Forming and building up an identity

Perhaps the most important task is the formation and the building up of one’s
own identity. This includes a positive relationship with the changes within
one’s own body, but also the newly emerging irritating feelings. Above all,
adolescents have to satisfactorily answer the question, “Who am I?” Just as the
toddler had to learn to walk upright, the adolescent has to find his or her own
inner standpoint and learn to assert it in life.

Building up social relationships

A further great developmental step for adolescents comes in building up social
relationships and meeting the requirements of the accompanying responsibil-
ities. Friendships within the same age group continue to gain in importance.

What meaning do I want to give my life?

A third developmental task for adolescents lies in the practical question about
what they want to achieve in life, which education they want to attain and,
furthermore, how life goals can be realized. “What is my life goal and what
do I have to do so that I can realize it?” – this is the fundamental question of
adolescence, which is often carried over into young adulthood.

Adolescents often come across as a lot older than they actually are! Pre-
mature sexualization is especially enhanced by the world of media and
advertising. It is thus all the more important to create counterbalances.
Not an easy task for parents: Allowing a healthy measure of independ-
ence but also maintaining the responsibility for it.
 FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)
6.2 The impact of screen media

Between the ages of 10 and 16 years the relationship of children to media

changes. They are fascinated by the digital world, smartphone, computer and
internet, all of which become increasingly important to them:
zz At the age of 12, around three out of four children are on the internet alone.
zz They engage increasingly on social media networks (Facebook, Instagram)
and intensively use digital communication (WhatsApp among others).
zz Above all they look for entertainment on the internet (games, movies,
music).

However:
Children and soon-to-be adolescents do not yet possess the mature discre-
tion and life experience of adults. They are not yet able to recognize and
see through clever marketing methods or ideologically influenced texts.

The perception that children as “digital natives” are more capable of finding
their way on the internet than adults is not true: This misjudges the important
fact that, with all their skill in operating the systems, children lack the ability
CHAPTER 6

to appropriately understand the pros and cons of what the internet offers.
The age ratings (MPAA or BBFC and ESRB, see pages 68 and 123) are still
important, but are in many cases ignored. Adolescents have to learn to protect
themselves against the addictive potential of what media offers. Giving them
their own devices thus only creates problems! (see chapter 7)

73
The internet portal www.safekids.co.uk summarizes the dangers facing chil-
dren and adolescents with the formula “CCCC” (Content, Commerce, Contact,
Culture):
zz Content not suitable for children: pornography, anorexia forums, repre-
sentations of violence, tasteless videos, right and left radicalism, Satanism,
etc.
zz Commercial seduction: advertisements, aggressive marketing, spam, poker
pages, erotic offers, etc.
zz Contact: false contacts, verbal sexual abuse by pedophiles, real abuse as a
result of physical contact, etc.
zz Culture: bullying, downloading of illegal music data, games, films, copyright
contraventions, etc.

For the ages between 10 and 13 years, the authors thus recommend:
zz No account on Facebook, WhatsApp or other information services: Accord-
ing to EU General Data Protection Regulation, an account without parental
consent is only legal from the age of 16 years (see www.eugdpr.org, art. 8). If
the child is younger than 16 years, the parents have to give consent for an
account. They then have a legal obligation to supervise and monitor its use
(see section 8.5).
zz No mobile devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.).
zz No screen devices in the child’s room.
Suggested reading

Sherry Turkle (2016)

Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a
Digital Age, Penguin Press

FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)

Janell Burley Hofmann (2014)
iRules: What Every Tech-Healthy Family Needs to Know
about Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up, Rodale
Books

Children’s Well-being in UK, Sweden and Spain: The

Role of Inequality and Materialism, Ipsos MORI Social
Research Institute in Partnership with Dr. Agnes Nairn
(2011). Available as a PDF document: agnesnairn.co.uk/
policy_reports/child-well-being-report.pdf

CHAPTER 6

75
6.3 Growing into mature and healthy
media usage

Children/adolescents (10 to 16 years of age) need a healthy measure of

freedom for independent action, but also clear rules. Do not enforce
strict bans, instead invest time in explanations, and do not spy on your
children. Support (non-media) interests, thereby providing a counter-
balance to media consumption.

zz For parents with adolescents: a at www.screenagersmovie.com/contracts or

communal internet PC, e.g., in the with the search keywords “media
living room or kitchen area. There usage contract.”)
may be more negotiations about
who is allowed to use it when, but zz Furthermore, you need to think
parents can in this way supervise about and negotiate consequenc-
time and content. es for when the rules or the
contract are not upheld! It has to
zz If your child is using an internet be clear to your children which
PC without supervision, then sanction you will implement in
absolutely install time-limiting and the case of offenses. Implement
filter software, such as Net Nanny your measures consistently. It is
(See sections 1.3 and 6.5). worth it to quietly bear conflicts
so that, more importantly, stress,
zz Also install feature and time limit- radiation and the risk of addiction
ing apps on the smartphone (see are avoided.
www.screenagersmovie.com/parenting-apps
and sections 1.3 and 6.5, page 84). zz Fundamentally the recommenda-
tion holds: Mobile devices (smart-
zz As soon as there is access to inter- phone, tablet) and the internet
net on a personal PC or smart- should be used only within time
phone (not earlier than 12 years, limits and be run implementing
however it is better if it is later – as radiation minimization (see sec-
late as possible), then agree in tion 2.2).
writing on time limits (e.g., seven
hours per week) in the framework
of a media use contract. (Sug-
gestions about this can be found
 FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)
zz Using limited, well chosen edu- zz Explain what children/adolescents
cational films and educational are not allowed to do. Whoever
software your children can be tolerates actions which fall in the
supported in their learning pro- sphere of culpability, is behaving
cess (see section 6.4). extremely irresponsibly toward
their children.
zz Educate about dangers and legal
regulations. Often, in dealing with zz Store smartphone outside chil-
their own images or sound record- dren’s bedrooms at night.
ings, or those of others, children
do not have any sense of culpabil- zz Growing into media maturity –
ity (see chapter 8). independent media usage requires
time.

Media maturity involves recognizing and evaluating the chances and risks
associated with the new media – especially the seduction of long-term
use, the dangers of addiction, the surveillance, the loss of privacy and
the accompanying dangers of manipulation, as well as radiation risks,
CHAPTER 6

among others – and deciding about the kind and quantity of media usage.
Media maturity can thus also mean that adolescents choose non-media
alternatives, which protect them from many risks, e.g., a landline instead
of a smartphone.

77
Suggested reading

Catherine Steiner-Adair (2014)

The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family
Relationships in the Digital Age, Harper Paperbacks

Nicholas Carr (2010)

The Shallows – How the Internet Is Changing the Way
We Think, Read and Remember, Atlantic books

Wendy Ellyatt (2018)

Technology and the Future of Childhood, Save
Childhood Movement. Available as a PDF document:
www.savechildhood.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DIGITAL-CHILDHOOD-
Save-Childhood-Movement-1.pdf

Internet:

Delaney Ruston MD (2019)

Screen-Free Zones – How to Encourage More Face to Face Time, Tech-Talk-
Tuesday blog on ‘Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age,’
www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/screen-free-zones-how-to-encourage-more-face-to-face-time
6.4 Long-term learning with new media

A personal PC in the child’s bedroom?

The more screen media devices there are in the child’s own room, the
more time adolescents spend using these devices. Unsuitable films and

FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)

computer games (age 16/18) are used far more frequently if the child
owns a personal device. Therefore: No screen media in the child’s room!

Minutes TV no device full set of

per school day equipment

120

90

60

30

Boys Girls

This is easier said than done. Who is not familiar with: “Mommy, Daddy, but all
the other kids have it!” What can help parents to serenely and reasonably say
no? The certainty that long-term you are doing your child a favor. You are pro-
tecting him or her from the dangers of screen media: violence, pornography,
bullying, addiction. And the child has more time for what he or she actually
wants: to play outside and to meet with friends. According to a survey these
are the favorite free time activities of German primary school children.
CHAPTER 6

And if older children need to work on a PC and internet for school? Then they
do not need a personal device for this. They can use a communal “parent PC”
for this purpose, which is then turned off afterward.

79
Are PCs, TVs, and mobile phones useful for learning?
On the one hand:
Research has shown that, in the case of older children and adults, the controlled
use of digital media is useful as a supportive tool for learning.
Examples: a PC language course for refreshing Spanish language skills, a train-
ing program for dyslexics, a film about deep sea fishes. However, a “hard-copy
encyclopedia” is recommended for a geography paper about Thailand. Why?
Because on Google and other such search engines such a search very quickly
takes one to the page of a sex hotel.

On the other hand:

The more time children spend in front of screen media, the poorer their school per-
formance is. Scientists particularly explain this negative correlation in this way:
For successful and independent problem solving and learning, children need
experiences in real life. TV, PCs, and mobile phones are considered to be time
thieves and replace learning involving all the senses. Additionally, motivation
suffers: a school book seems somehow boring and tedious if one is very used
to bright, loud, fast video clips.

Conclusion:
For long-term learning children need support without performance pressure
from their parents, a good social environment in class, and teachers who are
convincing in terms of subject and as people.

It is also important to guard against too much screen media. The younger
the child is, the longer the usage times and the more violent the content,
the more damage the screen media inflicts. The better the age appro-
priate introduction succeeds, the more TV, PCs, and mobile phones can
contribute to thinking, researching and learning.
Suggested reading

Joe Clement and Matt Miles (2018)

Screen Schooled – Two Veteran Teachers Expose
How Technology Overuse Is Making Our Kids Dumber,
Black Inc.

FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)

Aric Sigman (2015)
Practically Minded: The Benefits and Mechanisms
Associated with a Practical Skills-based Curriculum.
Available as a PDF document: www.rmt.org/wp-content/
uploads/2018/09/Practically-Minded-2015.pdf

Victoria Dunkley, MD (2015)

Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four-week Plan to End
Meltdowns, Raise Grades and Boost Social Skills by
Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-time, New
World Library

CHAPTER 6

81
6.5 Security software and technical support

In general we can say:

zz Technology can in a limited way contribute to protecting young children
from youth-endangering content, swindles and undesirable contacts on the
internet.
zz Some protective mechanisms are available as standard on smartphones
and other devices and only have to be activated. Others are easy to down-
load and install as software/apps.
zz Technical safety alone is not enough. Parents have to talk to their children
about the appropriate way to behave online, to minimize the risks (see
chapters 7 and 8).

In particular this means: On your home PC, laptop or tablet, set up user con-
tent for your children with limited rights. Activate time-limiting software (per
day and for the whole week) and install child safety software – also called filter
software.

Listed below are some examples of time limiting and child safety software
which are currently available on the market. Whether this software really is
good cannot be guaranteed. For a comprehensive listing and review of ‘Screen
Time Management Apps’ see: www.screenagersmovie.com/parenting-apps. Additional child
safety software, as well as tests of the different options, can also be found
under the keyword search “child safety software” in all search engines.
 FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YEARS)
The Screenagers website also provides useful information on all aspects of
working with your children and teenagers to help them find a healthy relation-
ship to mobile phone and screen usage. The feature length movie, entitled
Screenagers, has been influential in shaping policies in the USA. See www.
screenagersmovie.com.

For PC and Mac (some of these cover mobile phones as well):

zz Salfeld parental control (free download): salfeld.com/en
zz Kaspersky Total Security: www.kaspersky.co.uk/total-security
zz Net Nanny: www.netnanny.com. A popular application, but one review says more
effective on computers than mobile phones.
zz Microsoft Family Safety (built in to Windows 8 and later operating sytems,
free): Go to the control panel for setting up a child’s account. From here you
can choose filters and time controls.
zz On Mac OS, go to Parental Controls under “Preferences” (free).

Your internet browser will also have whitelist and blacklist functions (free).
CHAPTER 6

83
Some routers have built in parental control options. If not you can set up an
OpenDNS account (search for “OpenDNS router parental controls” for instruc-
tions – it is safe, and reversible). Note that this may apply the same filters and
controls to all users on the network, though some can apply separate filters to
different IP addresses on the network. This is also a free option.

As soon as unsupervised internet usage with a personal tablet or smartphone

is possible, install functional and time limiting software or apps.

Additional examples for mobile phones. Most can be used with both Android
and Apple mobiles:
zz SPACE, formerly called Breakfree App: findyourphonelifebalance.com
zz FamilyTime, familytime.io
zz Our Pact, ourpact.com
zz Moment, inthemoment.io, for Android and Apple. More for older children and
adults, this has a ‘coaching’ function to help get you off the phone more.
zz Screen Time and App Limits features as part of Apple’s new iOS12 phones

See www.screenagersmovie.com/parenting-apps for descriptions of each of the above.

 CHAPTER 6 FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE (10–16 YERARS)

85
The dangers of
using digital media
 CHAPTER 7 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

87
7.1 Stress associated with social media

The JIM study12 which appeared in Spring of 2017, shows that the use of digital
mobile devices and the corresponding communication apps by adolescents
between the ages of 12 and 19 is increasing. The application WhatsApp is used
by 95% of adolescents, followed by Instagram (51%) and Snapchat (45%), as
well as Facebook (43%). These electronic aids are firmly anchored in the every-
day communications of young people. The time spent on use daily is typically
2.5 hours for 12- to 13-year-olds, well over 3 hours for 14- to 15-year-olds, and
almost 4 hours for 16- to 19-year-olds.

The communication freedom – to be reachable constantly and everywhere

– is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Adolescents are increasingly
complaining about communication stress, caused among other things by up
to 3,000 WhatsApp messages per month which are read and written.13 Also,
according to a 2015 study commissioned by the State Media Authority in North
Rhine-Westphalia, 120 of 500 questioned children and adolescents between
the ages of 8 and 14 years (i.e., 24%) feel stressed as a result of the permanent
communication over messenger services such as WhatsApp.1 11 240 out of 500
(i.e., 48%) admit to being distracted by a mobile phone, for example, from
homework.
Ever more adolescents are subjected to continual communication from
first thing in the morning through late into the night, to the unspoken and
unquestioned demand to react immediately whenever it prompts – and this
begins straight after getting up and carries on until late in the night. The social
pressure of the peer group with its seemingly inescapable obligation to be
constantly available and constantly reactive means a very high level of stress.
Conversely, not being in constant communication evokes a feeling of social
isolation and loneliness in these adolescents: this new stress condition is
called Fomo, Fear of Missing Out.

According to a study by the smartphone manufacturer Nokia, young people

use their smartphone up to 150 times a day. If 100 messages have to be read
and answered daily, the practically constant usage of communication media
cannot remain without effect: it compulsively leads to frequent interruptions

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

of other activities (on average about every 9–10 minutes) and thus leads to
constant multi-tasking13.

The influence on cognition and learning

Multi-tasking – when all manner of things are continually done concurrent-
ly – requires a continual switching of attention, which can lead to so-called
attentiveness stress: For example, the student who works at the computer
is actually busy with other things besides homework for almost two thirds of
the time.

The spans of time in which adolescents are devoted to only one thing is
constantly decreasing due to multi-tasking. Recently Microsoft published
a study which shows that the attention span of 12 seconds in the year 2000
has decreased to eight seconds in the year 2013. The attention span of goldfish,
at nine seconds, is thus even a second higher. A decreasing attention span
means a decreasing ability to concentrate.13

Multi-taskers are effectively on the way to attention disorder14 15: They find it
very difficult not to follow up on irrelevant tasks and to ignore irritants from
their environment or in their minds. The effect is superficiality and ineffectu-
ality in handling important tasks and, above all, in learning, as the brain grows
CHAPTER 7

tired and its uptake ability is exhausted due to the density of stimuli. What has
been newly learned is thus only anchored in long-term memory in a limited
way: Because the brain needs times of rest to reflect on and consolidate what
has been learned, which multi-tasking does not allow.

89
zz Speech competency deteriorates, as well as tactile capabilities. Because the
featureless surface of a smartphone leaves behind a uniform, structureless
tactile impression in our brain. “When we touch and move something in the
real world, this influences our cognitive conceptual ability more than we
had realized before.” (Martin Korte 201016)
zz Reading is also increasingly on the decline. The proportion of non-readers
among children, those who never take a book into their hands, has almost
quadrupled: In 2005 it was 7%, in 2014 already 25%. The highest proportion
of non-readers at 35%, is among 16- to 17-year-olds, particularly those
adolescents with a low level of formal education.12

Mental disorders
Besides the effect on concentration and memory, communication stress mani-
fests, above all, in restlessness, nervousness, irritability and headaches, which
have all increased dramatically over the last few years. Sleep disturbances and
tiredness during the day are also continually increasing. These could also be
a result of communication on a smartphone well into the night. Other mental
disorders cannot be precluded (heart complaints, irrational fears right up to
depression, among others), which are elicited or enhanced by steady wireless
communications radiation (see chapter 2).

Influence on social life

In a 2014 study by BITKOM, over 1,000 adolescents were asked in which situ-
ations smartphones, Facebook, etc., are irritating. The answers show that
adolescents are capable of accurately reflecting on the influences mobile
phones have on their lives. A boy wrote: “It bothers me most when I am tired
and would like to go to sleep. Because of it I get too little sleep.” And a girl
said: “Actually in every situation, because one is looking at it all the time and
so much time is lost.” The most frequent criticism is that friendships are
endangered by smartphones. One participant explained: “My friends spend
more time on their phones than with me. At the moment they place virtual life
above reality, even though only real life creates the experiences and feelings
which we will remember later.”18
 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia
Beatrice does not like the fact that when she goes out with her friends,
they only play on their mobile devices: “Somehow everyone is distracted
and it is irritating when I have to say everything three times because no
one really listens anymore. Only my grandparents are still able to listen.”
They, coincidentally, do not have a mobile phone.

The unthinking tendency to be permanently online and at all times ready to

react, has fundamentally impacted the lives of adolescents and their inter-
actions, exchanges and bonding with others. The mobile phone has become
more important than the person with you. The digital world is replacing direct
social contact. Despite all this communication, there is social isolation. The
(side-) effects of this “flight” into the world of virtual communication can
already be clearly observed:

zz The ability of adolescents to appropriately interpret social signals is stunt-

ed. This can be seen in the lack or complete absence of social-empathetic
behavior and constructive, socially acceptable conflict behavior within peer
groups. A study19 by US psychologist Sarah Konrath shows that the ability of
college students to be empathetic had decreased since 1990 by about 40%.
Narcissistic-egotistical communication behavior predominates in combina-
CHAPTER 7

tion with an increased tendency to self-representation (among others by

means of selfies and the likes).
zz The non-binding nature is also increasing: Whereas previously arrange-
ments to meet were made and as a rule carried out, today personal time
planning is constantly subjected to new negotiations, arrangements and
changes of plan. Arrangements often only take place with provisos.

91
zz Adolescents rarely have a chance to choose how to fill their free time. Meet-
ing with others, sports and reading are neglected, as it is much easier to fall
back on an easily accessible and short-term medium such as a smartphone,
iPod or Xbox. As a result individuality and creativity are deteriorating.

What is important?
If adolescents spend a lot of time on the internet, it need not in itself be a cause
for concern, as long as direct social contacts and hobbies are still nurtured and
school work does not suffer. The effect of the use of digital communication
and entertainment should, however, not be underestimated (see section 7.2).

Adolescents are increasingly sensing the disproportionate nature of the

situation: They would not like to manage without digital communication,
but are irritated by the high level of messages they receive and reject the
dictatorship of having to answer immediately. They do not want to be
slaves to the fast pace. The perception that it must be urgent whenever
the mobile rings, is a compulsion, a dilemma, from which young people
often cannot escape on their own. Adolescents must, among other things,
learn to reduce discussions to the most essential points. They have to
learn to consciously decide what they allow into their heads.
 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia
What can you as a parent do? Start the discussion with your children and try to
bring about a balance between media and other free time activities. If nothing
else, technical means – such as time limiting software – can help to find an
appropriate balance (see section 6.5). If necessary, seek out professional help
(see section 7.2).

CHAPTER 7

93
Suggested reading

Jean M. Twenge (2018)

iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing
Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and
Completely Unprepared for Adulthood – and What That
Means for the Rest of Us, Atria Books

Catherine Price (2018)

How to Break up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan
to Take Back Your Life, Trapeze

Tanya Goodin (2017)

OFF. Your Digital Detox for a Better Life, Ilex Press
7.2 Excessive media use and the dangers
of addiction

“I fear the day that technology will

surpass our human interaction.
The world will have a generation of idiots.”
Albert Einstein

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

The DAK study of 2015 “Internetsucht im Kinderzimmer” (“Internet addiction
in the children’s room”)20 confirms a considerable worldwide development
among adolescents, and even among children, with alarming figures: In 50%
of 12- to 17-year-olds daily internet usage is already at two to three hours
a day. On weekends the time spent reaches an average of four hours. On a
Saturday or Sunday, 20% of the boys and girls spend six hours or more on
computer games or internet usage.
CHAPTER 7

The risks of media usage are ever clearer: 22% of children and adolescents
feel restless, moody or irritable when they have to reduce their internet
consumption. Already 5% (that is about 120,000) suffer from pathological
consequences of internet usage, and around 8% already display an increased
risk of internet addiction, i.e., they spend 8 to 10 hours per day on games and
compulsively neglect their other activities.

95
Studies and surveys about internet addiction in 12- to 17-year-olds

50 %
surf on the internet for 2–3 hours daily,
on weekends for up to 6 hours

22 %
feel restless, moody or irritable
when they have to reduce their
internet consumption

60 %
of 9- and 10-year-olds can at most occupy
themselves for half an hour without a television,
computer or other digital media
40 %
of 13-year-olds display learning
and concentration disturbances

A survey of pediatric practices in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2015, within the

context of the BLIKK Media Study11 of the Drug Commission of the Federal
Republic of Germany (Drogenbeauftragten der Bundesregierung), showed:
“More than 60% of 9- to 10-year-olds in Germany can at most keep busy
for half an hour without television, computer or other digital media. 40% of
13-year-olds additionally displayed learning and concentration disturbances.”
Many parents also complained that their children, preferring computer games
and television, neglect other activities such as reading books.

Medical doctor and media therapist Bert te Wildt in his book, Digital Junkies,34
describes smartphones as an unmistakable addictive medium and starter
drug: “By intentionally built-in reward mechanisms the user is riveted to the
device and his self-control is switched off.”24
Children and adolescents are increasingly becoming addicted to the internet!
The parents of Max (16 years) came for a consultation.
Diana (35) says:

We were always so proud of Max and always wanted the best

for him. As a reward for good marks we gave him new
computer games. When he kicked in the door last week
because I switched off the internet, we woke up. For months
already Max has been living almost completely in his online
world. His performance at school has dropped. Kurt and Paul
also do not visit anymore. He gave up football ages ago. Max
himself sees no problem, but we are desperate and do not
know what to do.30

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

In the end Max was diagnosed with computer game addiction. For other wor-
ried parents the counselor could provide an all-clear or help them with a few
suggestions.

Max is no exception! The addictive potential of digital media overwhelms us

CHAPTER 7

all, but especially children and adolescents. According to a 2016 DAK study,
in the age group 12–15 years, 5.7% (about 696,000 people) are affected by
computer game addiction, males at 8.4% clearly more dependent than
females.21 This is confirmed by a more recent study by the Federal Center of
Health Education (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Auflklärung or BZgA)

97
in Germany of February 2017 (“The drug affinity of adolescents in the Federal
Republic of Germany 2015, volume computer games and internet”). Approx-
imately 270,000 adolescents between 12–17 years – which corresponds to a
ratio of 5.8% – have a “computer game or internet related disturbance.” The
number almost doubled within 4 years since 2011 (from 3% to 5.3%). Whereas
boys spend most their time on online games, girls mostly use the internet
for communication. Among 12- to 13-year-olds, according to the DAK study
“internet addiction in the child’s room” already affects 3.9% (65,000 children).

It is thus not surprising that children and adolescents increasingly have to be

treated: Looking just at cases at the German Center for Addiction in Children
and Adolescents (Deutschen Zentrum für Suchtfragen des Kindes- und Jugen-
dalters) at the University clinic of Hamburg-Eppendorf, there are 400 internet-
addicted children and adolescents per year alone. About every tenth child
uses the internet to escape from problems. Experts argue that in Germany up
to one million people could be addicted to the internet.

Using 24 hours sensibly – beware of time thieves

24

IA
N MED
SCREE
18 6

12
 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia
Warning signs
The first signs of excessive internet usage often go unnoticed by those affected
or at least not perceived as disturbing for a long time, as the addiction process
is gradual. Internet addicts, as with other forms of addiction, become increas-
ingly dependent on internet consumption to achieve a satisfactory emotional
state. They thus try to deceive or reassure family members and other people
close to them regarding the extent of their internet consumption. Parents
should be concerned if: 20 27

zz Usage time keeps increasing and other free time activities are neglected or
even given up completely;
zz Your child sits at the computer well into the night, is sleeping less, develops
a shifted day-night rhythm, and is thus often tired during the day;
zz Reacts very sensitively to attempts at limiting usage: moody, irritated or
even furious when he or she has no internet/computer access or has to
reduce internet/computer consumption;
zz Vehemently negotiates about internet/computer consumption and/or
secretly switches on the computer at night;
zz There clearly are fewer actual social contacts, your child seeming to avoid
any encounters, and discussions occur quickly and superficially;
CHAPTER 7

zz Your child neglects to carry out tasks and obligations (e.g., increased school
absence, upcoming deadlines are postponed, often for weeks);
zz Your child reacts in an irritated manner and an argument breaks out if you
openly address the (addiction) problem.

99
If you have such experiences, you should take your concerns seriously, The
ones affected often have great difficulty in realistically estimating their own
internet usage, and thus need help from outside. Often feelings of shame
in those affected are a reason for downplaying their own internet/computer
usage.

Parental self-test for internet addiction

This is a list of questions for self-diagnosis: The questions were used by a
Chinese team researching the effects of heavy internet usage on the brains
of adolescents.22 23

1. Do you have the sense that you are completely immersed in the internet?
Can you remember your last online activity, or are you longing for your
next session?
2. Do you have a sense of satisfaction when you increase your time on the
internet?
3. Have you been repeatedly unsuccessful in controlling, reducing or giving
up your time on the internet?
4. Do you feel anxious, moody, depressed or sensitive when you try to reduce
or give up your time on the internet?
5. Do you spend more time on the internet than you had originally intended?
6. Have you risked losing an important relationship, work, educational or
career opportunity as a result of the internet?
7. Have you lied to family members, your therapist or other people to hide
the truth about your internet usage?
8. Do you use the internet to escape from problems or to reduce anxiety
conditions, e.g., the feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?

The researchers evaluate your answers in this way: “If you have answered
‘yes’ to questions 1 to 5 and at least one of the other questions, you have an
internet addiction.”
On the OASIS platform, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Health,
you can do an online test for yourself or your relatives (for German speakers,
have a go: www.onlinesucht-ambulanz.de/selbsttest). It is unique in that it offers addition-
ally an online care service and can refer you to a relevant treatment center in
your area. It is given here as a potential model for services in other countries.

With the search keywords “internet addiction test,” you can find many self
tests for computer game and internet addiction in English. Four examples are:

zz psychology-tools.com/test/internet-addiction-assessment
zz psychcentral.com/quizzes/internet-addiction-quiz/
zz www.ukat.co.uk/internet-addiction/
zz www.screenagersmovie.com/internet-addiction – a validated questionnaire for
diagnosing problematic and pathological video game use, along with infor-

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

mation and help links

The most important effects of excessive media usage

Lack of movement
CHAPTER 7

Children who spend too much time in front of a screen often display delayed
movement development. Too little movement leads to poor circulation, also
in the head. This impairs fine motor skills, thinking, creativity, spontaneity and
much more.

101
Excessive weight
People who spend more time in front of a screen usually are overweight.
Excessive weight can have a series of serious consequences: diabetes (type
II), arteriosclerosis, heart attack. The question is: Which is the chicken and
which is the egg? Does too much television lead to excessive weight – or the
converse? In New Zealand researchers observed 1,000 children from the time
of birth until 30 years old.

The conclusion: Excessive weight, diabetes and also difficulties in school were
in fact the results of high levels of television time.

Sleep disturbances
Many people fall asleep in front of the television. Does this mean that tele-
vision promotes healthy sleep? For children especially the opposite is true: The
more exciting a film or a computer game is, the worse a child sleeps afterward.
Particularly if the television is on shortly before bedtime.

More time at the screen and therefore less time for sleep is also a disadvan-
tage for learning: What is experienced during the day has to be processed and
integrated at night.

Social contact and developmental disturbances

If, despite many virtual friends, hardly any real social contacts are nurtured,
an important aspect of life is neglected. Relationship disturbances, develop-
mental disturbances and increasing anxiety levels about life situations can
result. Psycho-social maturity comes to a standstill, as time is lost for essential
developmental steps.
South Korea is setting a good example!
Pediatricians in the USA have for years been warning about the above-
mentioned risks and side-effects and have emphatically recommended that
toddlers should not be given any digital media and that children should only
have clearly limited times for using digital media. The South Korean education-
al policies have now applied these recommendations: South Korea is the first
country in which the government, already since 2015, has put in place laws to
protect the younger generation from the negative effects of new technology.

If you are under 19 years and buy a smartphone, it has to have software
installed which
1. blocks access to violence and pornography,
2. registers the daily usage time of the smartphone and sends your parents
a notification when you go over this time limit and

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

3. interrupts the connection to games servers after midnight.

The country with the most advanced technology has realized how important it
is to protect the next generation from the risks and side-effects of these tech-
nologies. Worldwide South Korea is the country with the most advanced digital
infrastructure and worldwide produces the most smartphones. As a result, in
the age group of people from 10 to 19 years, 90% are already short-sighted,
over 30% of children and adolescents have a smartphone addiction,23 and many
have postural damage because the cervical vertebrae are constantly in a bent
position.

What is important?
Many parents are unsure about internet usage for their children. The inten-
sive use of digital media in many families leads to arguments – all the way to
illness and dependency. The earliest possible introduction to media purely
to gain mastery over the technology is obviously not an adequate reason for
independent usage and cannot be the sole goal. (Operational-) technical know-
how does not safeguard against addiction. As a prevention this guidebook
recommends that exposure to screen media is delayed for as long as possible
and, instead, various alternatives from the real world are provided, which can
provide a counterbalance for your child.
CHAPTER 7

103
If it’s “ablaze” and nothing can be done anymore…
If your child shows signs of addictive behavior, we recommend intervention at
a counselling or treatment center. Some centers include:
zz UK Addiction Treatment Centers: www.ukat.co.uk/internet-addiction. Their website
includes a helpline number, a listing of centers and a self-test for internet
addiction.
zz The Priory Group in the UK: www.priorygroup.com/addiction-treatment/internet-addiction-
treatment. The website includes an inquiry number as well as information on
hospitals and centers which offer counselling or treatment.
zz Restart in the USA: www.netaddictionrecovery.com. Their mission: “Sustainable digital
media use for people and the planet.” The nation’s first center specializing
in the treatment of problematic internet, video game and technology use.
zz For a further listing of USA centers, see www.screenagersmovie.com/internet-addiction
zz New Zealand: www.netaddiction.co.nz

Further information and help

zz 7 Cups: a website which provides online therapy and free support to people
experiencing emotional distress by connecting them with trained listeners.
(www.7cups.com)
zz An online search for “help for internet addiction,” for other websites, as well
as services and centers in other countries.
zz www.familyfirst.nz
Suggested reading

Sherry Turkle (2018)

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology
and Less from Each Other, Basic Books

Kevin Roberts (2011)

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap,
Hazelden Trade

Adam Alter (2018)

Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the
Business of Keeping Us Hooked, Penguin

Victoria L Dunckley (2015)

Reset Your Child’s Brain – A Four-week Plan to End
Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by
CHAPTER 7

Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-time, New

World Library

105
7.3 Careless approach to private
information

Ensuring the privacy of children and adolescents is very important: As a rule,

you do not know to what extent your activities on a smartphone and the inter-
net are open to unknown third parties and how much private information gets
into their hands – either by using WhatsApp, SnapChat, Facebook, Instagram,
Amazon, etc., or even when researching on the internet, e.g., with the search
engine Google.

“I have nothing to hide!” – Really? What your data on the internet,

smartphone or tablet betray about you
If you use the internet a lot – which is what almost all adolescents do – and
thus reveal all manner of things about yourself, you are allowing your privacy
to increasingly end up in the public sphere. Remember, the internet forgets
nothing! Most search engines (e.g., Google or Microsoft) capture your search-
es and your IP address and use so-called tracking cookies which store your
searches, the time of your visits, as well as the chosen links. Only a few search
engines do not pursue you with advertisements or collect and distribute data
about your searches (e.g., Startpage or DuckDuckGo). In the same way many
websites save the links you choose and other personal data by means of cook-
ies. Among the large search engines, Google has secretly compiled possibly
the largest databank of personal information about individuals ever created.
Many apps – for example games such as Pokemon Go – have either hidden or
even openly built-in spying functions. Around 60% of free apps require access
to your address book, your location or GPS data, camera, etc., to function,
even though this access often has nothing to do with the service offered and
its only aim is to collect data.

“Arguing that you do not care about the

right to privacy because you have nothing
to hide is no different than saying you
don’t care about free speech because you
have nothing to say.”
Edward Snowden

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

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107
The data which inevitably arises when using the internet and/or smartphone
with every click, is not only collected, but also compiled and, in many cases,
automatically evaluated (with so-called algorithms) by many companies, such
as Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc., and also by secret services: Your name,
address, telephone number, birth date, gender, family circumstances, state of
health, preferences, interests, political and religious convictions and attitudes,
occupational and social status, social environment and cultural setting. But
also consumer habits, credit history, payment morale, credit worthiness and
much more data about internet users are compiled. This personal data profile
(the so-called “digital twin”) is sold to marketing specialists, banks, insurance
companies, human resources departments, employees of authorities and
other interested parties, even to hackers and criminals. So billions are made in
profit. One can say that personal data is the gold of the 21st century, because
almost everyone has been made into a more or less valuable, saleable prod-
uct. The use of apps and other internet applications that are free of charge,
is thus “paid for” by means of your data – hopefully not as a result of careless
acceptance of agreements, without which the app cannot be used.

You are always getting the short end of the stick: The value of the app
which you are receiving for free has a lesser value than your data which
you have given away with it.

Loss of privacy means curtailing your freedom

Being spied on without your permission, which represents a deliberate disre-
gard for your privacy, is an injury to your constitutional legal right to have data
protection and privacy. This is increasingly being lost the longer you continue
to carelessly give away your data on the internet.

This loss of privacy demonstrably leads to manipulation, control and

limitation of your freedom. Whoever knows so much about one person
can easily control and manipulate that person – and this is already in
process.

The goal of manipulation is, above all, your consumption. For example, adver-
tisements are becoming increasingly tailor-made for consumers. Often an
attempt is also made to manipulate your attitude (keyword: fake news). You
can also be placed easily under pressure or persecuted.
 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia
Your future possibilities and those of your child can be limited if insurance
companies, employers, and banks, and so forth, as a result of digital data
evaluations no longer react in an unbiased manner. For example, certain
services (such as insurance) would perhaps be granted only with conditions
attached, or a job application is rejected for unknown reasons, or credit or
air travel is refused. All of these can significantly limit personal freedom and
opportunities. The internet/smartphone is not only an ideal data transmission
device, therefore an ideal spy, but also a means for surveillance, control and
manipulation. Peter Hensinger25 writes:

“The data for one’s own monitoring, which previously would have been permis-
sible only in cases of criminal behavior, is now supplied by every smartphone
user on a voluntary basis, and this is new. It is a freedom trap … it upstages
Orwell’s 1984. The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labor writes about this in a
depressing study26:

‘The described development and practices make it clear that a kind of

surveillance society has become a reality in which the population is con-
stantly being classified and sorted on the basis of personal data.’”
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109
Protect yourself and your children from loss of privacy
Most people would never think of revealing their private life to strangers. On
the internet this is not avoidable. The most important preventative measure
– if possible – is to block access to private information, or limit it, or, at the
least, not recklessly share or post private information (name, address, friends,
family circumstances, private pictures, etc.) The less personal information is
accessible, the less of a “target” inexperienced users are. Children and adoles-
cents have to learn and understand why the protection of their own privacy is
so important and then how this can be implemented in particular.

Tip: Children who are using WhatsApp, Facebook or other services on

the internet should never use their own name, instead they should use
a pseudonym. Children under the age of 13 are not allowed access to
WhatsApp and Facebook (see page 74).
With smartphones and with many online services users can determine the
boundaries and decide which data to give. Settings can usually be determined
in the user profile. Young users should be very sparing with personal informa-
tion and have their parents help them.

Social networks have a good memory! Once photos have been made public, it
is difficult to control their dispersal and they cannot really be deleted, because
deleted pictures/contents will still exist in another place as a copy – children
and adolescents should think about this before making anything public! Other
data, such as addresses and preferences are also not so easily forgotten by
the net.

Fundamentally this means: The less personal information your child

provides, the safer the usage is. Therefore, provide only the data which

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

are really necessary!

Develop media usage rules together with your children and adolescents, com-
bined with comprehensive explanations about typical dangers and problems,
especially in posting or sharing pictures or videos on the internet. Make clear
to children and adolescents that an image or video, once it has been posted
on the net, quickly spreads and cannot be taken back or simply deleted – with
many negative consequences.

zz Before downloading a free app, decide whether you or your child really
needs it.
zz Invest a little money if you can get an app which does not spy on your
personal data on your smartphone, PC or tablet.
zz Use VPN software from a reliable provider, which makes personal data
anonymous when using the internet (VPN=Virtual Private Network), espe-
cially when using public Wi-Fi connections.
zz Use the various indications on the internet and in books on how you can
protect your privacy (e.g., YouthSpark - online safety oriented to teenagers:
www.microsoft.com/en-us/digital-skills/online-safety?activetab=protect-whats-important%3aprimaryr3,
and suggested reading on page 112)
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111
Suggested reading

Agnes Nairn (2015)

When Free Isn’t – Business, Children and the Internet,
European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online
(eNACSO). Available as a PDF document: agnesnairn.co.uk/
policy_reports/free-isnt%20_040416Sm%20.pdf

Dr. Elizabeth Kilbey (2017)

Unplugged Parenting: How to Raise Happy, Healthy
Children in the Digital Age, Headline Home

Nicholas Kardaras (2017)

Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids,
and How to Break the Trance, St. Martin’s Griffin
In chapter 1, “Invasion of the Glow Kids,” page 8,
Nicholas Kardaras, PhD, former clinical professor,
describes his first encounter with a 16-year-old boy who
exhibited “screen gaming-induced psychosis,” or GTP =
Game Transfer Phenomena. Recommended reading by
the New Zealand editor of this book.

Internet:

Delaney Ruston MD (2019)

Teen Sexting – What are the Laws? Tech-Talk-Tuesday blog on ‘Screen-
agers: Growing up in the Digital Age,’ www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/
teen-sexting-what-are-the-laws
Test how well you are protecting your private data28

e
ru
You or your child have taken one of the first

st

e
tru
steps in protecting your privacy when all the

ay
e

lw

lly
ru
boxes on the right have been ticked.

ta

ua
tt

e
tru
no
no

us
1. The screen lock on my smartphone is always active.

2. I have a random number combination for my screen

lock.

3. I am aware that in public LAN networks anyone can

read my activities.

4. I always set the “save my password” in the settings

of my internet browser on “off.”

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

5. In the website settings of my internet browser I have
set the “location” of my smartphone on “blocked.”

6. I have set the camera or microphone in the website

settings of my internet browser on “ask first.”

7. I am aware that WhatsApp saves my telephone number

and other communication data (time, receiver, address
book contents …) and gives it to Facebook.

8. When installing an app I always read the agreement

first before accepting it and installing the app.

9. I decline to install an app if I do not know what the

agreement means.

10. I decline the installation of an app if I know that images,

videos, addresses, messages or location data are saved
and passed on.

11. I always install the newest updates for my apps and my

smartphone myself and check what has been changed.

12. I know the risks when I download and install the apps
from Google-Store or from third party providers.
CHAPTER 7

13. I am aware that nothing is “forgotten” in the internet.

This means that pictures, videos and texts can never be
deleted with certainty.

14. I know that my (future) employer can look at the

pictures, videos and texts which I have put on the
internet.

113
Risk: “Sexting”
An especially dangerous situation arises when young girls (under pressure or
voluntarily) send intimate photos of themselves or even nude pictures e.g., to
their boyfriend or even post them on the web (so-called sexting). It is safest not
to even take such photos with a smartphone, as some apps can access these
pictures without one even being aware of it. And if such photos are taken,
they should not be sent to anyone, not even to a best friend. What happens to
those photos or videos if the friendship breaks up or friends become enemies?
Once the pictures are sent, one no longer has control over their further use
(not even in SnapChat where pictures are automatically deleted after a short
time, because copies can be made before they are deleted). As a rule, they are
spread on the internet within a very short time and often instigate exposure,
humiliation and even blackmail. Often they are defamatory.

It may be possible to prosecute the people who have circulated the images;
even class- and schoolmates can be held accountable and punishable by law
(see section 7.4 about age of criminal responsibility in different countries). In
the UK it is against the law for any child under the age of 18 to take, share,
download or store an explicit image or video or message about themselves
or a friend (see the NSPCC site at www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/
sexting). In the USA the specific laws depend on the state you are in. (For a
chart of state rules see www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/teen-sexting-what-are-the-
laws?rq=sexting.) In general, it is against the law to send or receive nude pictures
Most countries have similar rules, with variations. Many have enacted specific
legislation around sexting among those under 18 to prevent offenses from
becoming a criminal record for life (unless repeated or more serious), empha-
sizing education for children, schools and parents.

Under the search keyword “sexting” there is a lot of information and help, also
for specific laws which apply for your region.

Risk: “Chatting with strangers”

A further danger exists in the offers of contact from strangers, who – most
often under pseudonyms – initially gain the confidence of children and then
seduce or force them to carry out actions from which they are not able to
extricate themselves without help.

Explain to your children about such propositions and enticements. Most

advice emphasizes not raising fears in your child about “stranger danger”
but rather raising awareness of the differences between real-life friends and
virtual friends and the precautions needed when exchanging any information
with virtual strangers.
zz See Common Sense Media website, www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/the-facts-about-
online-predators-every-parent-should-know
zz See Unplugged Parenting, Dr. Elizabeth Kilbey, chapter 7 on ‘Online risks and
keeping children safe’
zz or search for keywords “online predators”

Help for the prevention of and intervention in sexual abuse of children

zz Child Exploitation Investigation Unit/ICE www.ice.gov/predator (USA)
zz Nation Assault Telephone Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673)
zz online.rainn.org (USA)
zz Child Exploitation and Online Protection command: www.ceop.police.uk/safety-
centre. For information and for reporting online sexual abuse (UK)
zz NSPCC Children’s Services: www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/our-services/childrens-services.
They offer contact helplines, including a child line specifically for those

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

under 18. (UK)
zz Get Safe Online: www.getsafeonline.org/safeguarding-children. Offers information and
advice on all areas of online safety, including safeguarding childen. Pro-
vides further links and helpline numbers. (UK)
zz Childline: www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety. Offers
advice and helplines. (UK)
zz Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk. For anonymously and confidential-
ly reporting child sexual abuse content and non-photographic child sexual
abuse images. (UK)
zz Netsafe: www.netsafe.org.nz, a website for general online safety for New Zea-
land, but also with valuable information across a number of subject areas
including cyberstalking and online sexual harrassment. They offer a 7- day-
a-week helpline for free and confidential help. (New Zealand)
zz Do a search for keywords “prevention of child sexual abuse” or “child pro-
tection advice” for help sites and contacts in your country. CHAPTER 7

115
7.4 Cyberbullying and internet harassment

Cyberbullying
With digital forms of communication and social networks, it is easy to take
images or video footage of people openly or secretly and to circulate these,
or to insult people, to spread rumors about them, to intimidate them, and so
forth. This cyberbullying is increasing in schools. Boys and girls are equally
affected by this (approx. 28–33%). Bullying includes forms of (mostly subtle)
violence such as exposure, defamation, derision, among others, of people
over a long time period with the aim of social isolation.

If visible aggression and physical violence are in the foreground, then one
speaks of (cyber) bullying. There, however, is not a clear distinction between
the two forms.

Bullying has taken on a dimension on the internet which in quantity and

scope goes far beyond anything known before. According to a survey of
the German Federal Association of Digital Economy (Bundesverbandes
Digitale Wirtschaft), 97% of all 18- to 24-year-olds consider cyberbullying
to be a serious problem in their age group.29
There are legal considerations and consequences (see also chapter 8):
zz In many countries, the secret photographing, filming or recording of people
and the circulating of these recordings is a criminal offense. In Germany,
statute § 201a StGB stipulates punishment for the violation of personal
privacy by taking pictures. The unauthorized recording and/or distribution
of images or film sequences, especially in protected spaces, can in itself be
punished with a prison term of up to one year or a fine. The classroom is
not such a protected space; however, a changing room or a toilet is.
zz Portraits may be distributed or publically displayed only according to copy-
right law with the consent of the person depicted. Violations in Germany
carry the same sentence as in § 201 StGB.
zz Punches and kicks are also criminal offenses because they cause bodily
injuries. Filming or photographing such scenes, and then showing or dis-
tributing them, even if you were not involved in the violence, is also punish-

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

able; the distribution of such photos causes considerable humiliation and
damage to the victim.
zz Downloading violent or pornographic photos or videos from the internet
and distributing them is also a criminal act. Such crimes can be punished
with imprisonment or a fine and the mobile phone can be confiscated by
the police. These laws apply in the USA as well.

Fundamentally, we need to take into consideration the fact that criminal

responsibility starts at an earlier age than many realize and differ from one
country to the next. In Germany it is once the child has reached the age of 14
years; in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, it is already at 10 years. In the USA
for federal crimes it is 11 years; at the state level 33 states set no minimum
age. Cases, however, are generally tried in juvenile court when under 18 years;
juvenile delinquency does not focus on punishment, but on parenting. First
and foremost, attention should be paid to education and support.

What can you do?

On the Childline and other websites (see links at the end of this section) are
numerous tips and recommendations for how to protect against cyberbullying
and to help others who are experiencing it, including:
zz Find out if anyone in your family is being subjected to cyberbullying; speak
CHAPTER 7

to this person and try to help them.

zz If your children are affected, they should not respond directly to the insult-
ing, compromising or threatening e-mails or SMSs; instead initially secure
and save the evidence (images or data).

117
zz Prevent recordings (images, videos, etc.) from being distributed any further;
instead, ensure that they are deleted. Arrange the deletion at the network
server.
zz In serious cases you should report the matter to the police, because cyber-
bullying may constitute a criminal offense.
zz If you want to report a case to the police, document the bullying process
for the report; for example, collect photos, videos, the insult, coercion or
threat, as the case may be, as a screen shot or as a recording of a chat
conversation.
zz Report bullying on social networks to the social media provider, as they can
block the account of the perpetrator.
zz Safeguard personal data from Trojans and Spyware by means of good virus
protection; bullying is often carried out using stolen identities.

Further information and advice

www.thecyberhelpline.com/guides/online-harassment, for information, with helpline
for the UK
www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/types-bullying/online-bullying,
giving information and helplines (UK)
1800victims.org/crime-type/cyber-bullying for USA
cyberbullyhotline.com for USA
www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/how-to-report for USA
www.cybersmile.org/advice-help/category/who-to-call. A list of telephone numbers
to call in various countries, including UK, USA, Canada, Australia
www.screenagersmovie.com/antibullying-campaigns for a list of organizations,
websites and campaigns based in the USA
https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/cyberbullying (USA)

Do a search with keywords “help for online bullying” for further help options
in your country.
7.5 Sites on the net which are unsuitable
for adolescents

Shocking content on the internet represents a further threat if your child –

often involuntarily – is confronted with it: For example, such pictures may
suddenly appear in one’s profile by means of the sharing function on social
media networks, or school friends share what they have found. Among sites
on the net which are unsuitable for young people, first and foremost, are
pornography, after that, depictions of violence and advertisements promoting
self-harming (e.g., anorexia, bulimia) and religious fanaticism.

With unrestricted access to such sites, the risks for the psyche of children and

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

adolescents are numerous and cannot be underestimated, as the following
selection shows:

Sexual representations – pornography

“Two thirds of all male adolescents between 16 and 19 years consume pornog-
raphy daily or weekly, with one in five watching pornography daily (Pastötter,
CHAPTER 7

Pryce, Drey, 2008). Almost half of all 11- to 13-year-old children have already
seen pornographic images or films. In the case of 17-year-olds it is already
93% of boys and 80% of girls.” (Dr. Sommer Study35)

119
The Return Institute for Media Addiction in Germany (Fachstelle Mediensucht
return) writes as follows:

“Pornography is not harmless. … Numerous studies have shown the con-

sumption of pornography endangers the ability to have relationships,
promotes sexual violence and is potentially very addictive. Children
and adolescents need help to be able to see through the effects of the
consumption of pornography and to develop a knowledgeable attitude
about it.”

Pornography also often leads to anxiety and false expectations about love and
sexuality. Sexual assault among underage children is increasing. Long-term
studies demonstrate. The more frequently adolescents consume pornog-
raphy, the more they separate sexuality from any relationship context and
consider casual sex to be the norm. Youth Protection laws and filter software
are important, but are not adequate for prevention. Additional information
can be found in the suggested reading below.
Suggested reading

Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn (2009)

Consumer Kids – How Big Business Is Grooming Our
Children for Profit, Constable

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

Mary Aiken (2016)
The Cyber Effect – A pioneering Cyberpsychologist
explains how human behavior changes online, John
Murray

Internet:

Child Safety Online – A practical guide for parents and carers whose chil-
dren are using social media. A guidance leaflet produced by the UK Council
for Child Internet Safety, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/490001/Social_Media_Guidance_UKCCIS_Final_18122015.pdf

Screenagers movie. The official trailer for the powerful and informative film
on digital device usage: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJPdQaOQZho

The Impacts of Banning Advertising Directed at Children in Brazil (2017)

The Economist Intelligence Unit. Available as a PDF document: agnesnairn.co.uk/
policy_reports/eiu-alana-report-web-final.pdf
CHAPTER 7

Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood

121
Depictions of violence
12,000 hours in front of a screen. The “average child” in Germany has reached
this count by about 15 years. According to estimates, a child has thus seen
almost 10,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence. Despite this, most adoles-
cents do not behave violently. Especially the internet is filled with depictions of
violence: videos of beatings, sequences from horror films, brutal advertising
trailers, images of accidents, torture and even executions, and much more.
According to the 2009 Grimm Study “Violence on the Web 2.0” (Gewalt im Web
2.0), a quarter of all adolescents have seen violence on the internet.32

What about headlines such as, “Killing sprees caused by shooting games on the
PC”? There are many factors which protect adolescents from going on a ram-
page. Loving parents, good friends, a calm disposition, etc. However, there is
also a lot which contributes to violence. A problematic circle of friends, violence
in the home, stress at school. Media violence becomes an additional influence.

The effect of depictions of violence: breaking down empathy

Depictions of violence make a long-term impression on children and adoles-
cents. They are shocked, experience revulsion, anxiety and uncertainty. The
images can even elicit trauma. “Especially problematic are real and realistic
depictions of violence, which more than 40% of adolescents have seen. They
are dangerous because they have a greater effect on children and adolescents
than on adults.”
Violence in the head?
– It is not that simple!

T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia

The Grimm Study furthermore found: “In all groups, adolescents express
outrage and incomprehension about the perpetrators and the acts depicted,
and also about the people who film such things and distribute them on the
internet. A critical attitude about usage of the relevant contents – and espe-
cially a critical attitude about their own usage of what is offered – is however
expressed in only a few cases, it is especially the perpetrators and the people
active in the production who are blamed.”

Empathy especially is weakened by repeated viewing of violence. The ability to

feel empathy decreases. This effect is even greater if one can “participate” in
the events, as is the case in computer games or even more so in cyber games.
The inborn inhibition to kill is weakened. If violent behavior were a car, then
one would say: Media violence is not like putting high octane fuel in the tank,
but rather that it damages the brakes.

Beware: Not every film or every game “from age 6” is suitable for 6-year-
olds. Expert tip: USK/FSK + 3 years (see pages 66 and 73)
CHAPTER 7

The manner in which representations of violence affect the psyche of children

and adolescents is presented in more detail in the informative study, “The
Influence of Media Violence on Youth” (Anderson, C.A. et al, Psychological
Science in the Public Interest, 2003: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2003.
pspi_1433.x)

123
Self-harming
There are many sites on the internet that spread and often glorify self-
harming and self-destructive behavior. Adolescents who are in danger and
look for help on the internet for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, for
example, are carelessly affirmed in their illness and even obtain tips on how to
continue by so-called pro-ana or pro-mia sites. In Germany there are websites
for reporting pro-ana or pro-mia pages (e.g., www.internet-beschwerdestelle.
de). In light of the online hazards, people suffering from these conditions
should exercise extreme caution when doing web searches to get help. They
need urgent help for their mental illness. The references below are from repu-
table organizations and include helpline numbers. An important next step is
to see a health professional.

zz For information and a helpline about self-harming, see the NSPCC web-
site: www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/self-harm
zz For information and helpline for eating disorders, see the National Health
Service (NHS) website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/eating-disorders
zz www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support (USA)
zz www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/eating-disorders (USA)
zz www.mentalhealthamerica.net/self-injury (USA)
zz www.ed.org.nz in New Zealand
zz thebutterflyfoundation.org.au in Australia
 T he dangers o f u sing digital m edia
What else you can do…
Technical protective measures, as described in Section 6.5, are not always
adequate on their own to safeguard children and adolescents from content
dangerous to young people.

Most important is a good relationship of trust, so that your child can

turn to you when he or she encounters incriminatory experiences on the
internet.

Encourage your children to inform you or the teachers at school if they come
upon sites on the internet which are unsuitable for young people. Reassure
them that they will not be punished if they have looked at such sites or have
drawn in others too.

Show your children how political propaganda works and what dangers they
submit themselves to through it. Children are often gullible and uncritically
believe the messages depicted. Explain to them the meaning of the multi-
faceted freedoms which we enjoy in a democracy, and that these are not
guaranteed for all time.
CHAPTER 7

125
Internet and the law
Information
for parents
 CHAPTER 8 I nternet and the law

127
With an increasing ability to judge, adolescents require precise explanations
about why certain behaviors can have legal consequences. When adolescents
learn to drive, so they can obtain a driver’s licence at the age of 17 years, or
whatever age applies in the country or state of residence, they are obviously
familiarized with the road traffic laws. The internet also has such regulatory
laws: There are general laws surrounding personal rights, the right to your
own image, copyright laws, as well as criminal law.

Very few, however, know what consequences a simple click of the mouse
can have or how to disentangle oneself from an undesired purchase
agreement. In social media, pictures are circulated without any regard
for the interests of the people involved.

The specific laws differ from country to country and in some cases from state
to state within a country. In the USA, for instance, laws and policies on bully-
ing and cyberbullying are different from state to state in scope as well as
depth. In 2010 the US Department of Education developed a framework of 13
components within state laws on bullying, each state with a different mix and
emphasis. (see www.stopbullying.gov/laws).

Laws and policies in relation to the dangers of digital media, as outlined in

the last chapter, are also constantly changing and being added to in response
to new concerns and campaigns. As illustration: In the UK, the government
issued a consultative Green Paper in 2017 on Internet Safety Strategy, and in
May 2018 issued a further Government Response anticipating the introduction
of new laws “to tackle the internet’s wild west,” as described by the Culture
Secretary, Matt Hancock. Up until this point, the UK, as does the USA, has
relied more on industry codes of practice for many areas of internet safety,
which the public increasingly believe don’t go far enough.

In January 2019 the UK All Party Parliamentary Committee (APPC) on Social

Media and Young People’s Health and Wellbeing published a report in which it
outlines four recommendations for actions:

1. A comprehensive digital education.

2. Development of guidelines for the public.
3. Establishment of a statutory duty of care and code of conduct. 80% of the
public, in a poll commissioned by the APPC, advocated a tighter regulation
of social media companies.
4. Formation of a new body to fund research, educational initiatives and
clearer guidance for the public.
With this book we hope that readers may not only wait to see what
develops over the years ahead but, from a more informed perspective,
may be moved to help influence the course of actions taken, whether in
laws formed on a national level or in policies adopted by the school your
children attend, taking into consideration the developmental needs of
children at their different ages.

This can be through writing letters to the respective persons, distributing

books such as this, joining lobbying groups, and more. The ELIANT group (see
list of partner organizations in the last section), for instance, has been instru-
mental in influencing EU legislation on digital education in schools to reflect
childhood development. With joint effort, it is possible to shape the course
of actions ahead, that they focus on children’s health and well-being rather
than on industry profits and interests, and that they adopt a precautionary
approach where there are still question marks.

While the above on the one hand illustrates the changing scenes with regard
to laws pertaining to the internet and the difficulty of one book or website
giving an overview, it is nevertheless informative to have a snapshot of where
laws are at the moment, for which we have chosen Germany as representative
of an EU country and where this book was originally published. This snapshot

I nternet and the law

will vary for each country, but many elements will apply to most countries.
Some EU directives have helped unify laws across Europe, such as the GDPR
(General Data Protection Legislation), and internet based companies such as
Google and Facebook even if based in the USA, must follow GDPR rules for
operations in European countries. Additionally, laws developed in one region
often become models for other countries. It is hoped that the more detailed
discussion below of German laws will therefore be an impetus for readers to
become more familiar with the laws and guidelines that apply in their own
region. Links and suggested readings in previous chapters have given pointers
for helping in this research.

The text in sections 8.1 to 8.4 below is from the original German edition and
was kindly provided by Stefan Feinauer, a lawyer based in Germany. A few
reference notes for English information sources have been added.
CHAPTER 8

129
8.1 The right of informational
self-determination

The protection of personal data (e.g., email address, mobile number), also
the right of your own image, is not an end in itself, but an essential part of
the general law of personal rights (Allgemeinen Persönlickkeitsrechts, Art. 2
Abs. 1, 1 Abs. 1 GG). From this is derived the law of individual informational
self-determination: This is the law which governs that you determine when
and in which context personal life records are shared.

The legal definition of “personal data” is found in § 3 Federal Data Protection Act
of Germany (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz). “Personal data” are so-called particu-
lars that are personal or concern one’s circumstances, or are about particular
people or people who can be determined. These can be written records, but
also photos, videos and sound recordings. If one makes unauthorized use of
such personal data, in other words without permission (§ 4a BDSG) of the
person affected, this is punishable (§§ 43, 44 BDSG). The affected person does
not have to tolerate the use of his or her data without permission, but can,
among other options, request the deletion of the illegally stored data.

Personal data – the raw material of the future?

It is furthermore important to emphasize again and again, that every visit on
the internet leaves behind traces. “Personal data” is not described as the raw
material of the future without reason. Even if one thinks that “one actually has
nothing to hide,” your personal data could have a high value for a third party.
Examples of this are the lucrative trade of personal data and information
or data misuse. An example of the latter is identity theft. In the best case
scenario, you could be liable to pay for what someone else has ordered; in the
worst case, you could unjustifiably be subjected to governmental surveillance
measures. This is why even the preparation to spy out and capture data rep-
resents a criminal offense (§ 202c StGB).

In this context it is especially necessary to point out again the importance

of safeguarding Wi-Fi connections, even if, based on the current legal status,
one is no longer automatically liable if third parties – for example guests or
friends – illegally download music, films or games. Useful links for Germany:
www.klicksafe.de/themen/rechtsfragen-im-netz and www.irights.info.
8.2 Internet criminal law and the
Youth Protection Act

Nowadays it is possible to find a wealth of information on the internet. How-

I n ter n et a n d the l a w
ever, it is not always possible to distinguish whether an opinion has been
voiced or if facts are being discussed. The constitution considers freedom
of speech to be of high value (Art. 5 Abs. 1 GG). However, this right is not
limitless. One has to consider the interrelationship between the protection of
honor and the constitutional right of freedom of speech. Spreading hate or
propaganda for violence on the internet thus does not only violate the general
interest, but also violates the rights of the individual and thus is a criminal
offense (§ 130 StGB).

Very generally speaking: for the internet there are no exception regu-
lations, the laws “of real life” apply here too. This is made clear by the
legislation at various points in the relevant regulations.

For example, in § 184d StGB it is written that the person “distributing porno-
CHAPTER 8

graphic representations by means of radio, media or tele-services” is also

punishable according to §§ 184 to 184c StGB (on the distribution of porno-
graphic materials).

131
Youth Protection Act
In addition, the legislature has established the Youth Protection Act and the
Youth Media Protection Treaty for the protection of children and adolescents
from images of violence and pornographic content on the internet. Repeat-
edly chain letters are sent via social networks, threatening the recipient that
a calamity will befall him if he does not forward this message to friends and
acquainances. These messages and the forwarding of then can be considered
punishable as coercion.

8.3 Copyright law

Copyright law protects artistic and scientific works with an artistic or original
form of expression. Copyright protection law extends from the creation of a
work and is independent of registration. This includes works such as photos,
texts, music and film data. One is allowed to make a copy of copyrighted
material for one’s own “private use,” however only if it is not in contravention
of any copyright measures and the copy does not serve any “profit motive.”
Additionally, the work – for example, a music video – has to have been pro-
duced and published legally.
Uploads and downloads
If such works are offered for free on the internet, then one must, as the user,
ensure that they are “automatically” copyright free. When downloading music
files, in cases of doubt, one should inquire to the respective Performing Rights
Organization, GEMA in Germany [see Wikipedia for a list of PROs worldwide:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_copyright_collection_societies]. Streaming services for movies
which are offered free are, as a rule, illegal. If you, for example, upload a clip
from a television series on YouTube, you are contravening copyright law and
possibly are criminally culpable (§§ 106 ff. StGB). This law is all the more appli-
cable if a copy protection on a DVD or other has been bypassed (§§ 95a StGB).

Personality rights
The “art copyright law” also protects particular personality rights, such as the
right to one’s own image. Every person has the constitutional right to deter-
mine whether he or she is photographed and how these photos are used,
including distribution in public. The publication of photos on the internet
which were taken at a disco-event, are thus fundamentally only publishable
with the consent of the people depicted. Especially protected is private life: If
someone without authorization takes photos of another person in a home and
distributes them, thereby invading the highly private sphere of the depicted
person, they are culpable according to § 201a StGB.

I nternet and the law

Helpful links concerning copyright
The most important information about copyright in Germany for parents can
be found on the pages of www.internet-abc.de under www.t1p.de/8bd7.

References added for the English editions

For the UK the following pages are very informative: www.copyrightservice.co.uk/
copyright/copyright www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/copyright_myths

For the USA see: www.copyright.gov/help/faq

and en.m.wikipedia.org

Material copyrighted in one country may be protected in other countries

depending on the international agreements. See www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.pdf
CHAPTER 8

Kids Encyclopedia Facts has simplified explanations for children: kids.kiddle.co/

Copyright

133
8.4 Purchase agreements and liability on
the internet

Most adolescents have already downloaded music data or bought clothing

and other items or participated in an internet auction. Very few will be aware
that a resulting purchase agreement has arisen. The simple click of the mouse,
as mentioned before, is sufficient for that.

Underage children (between the ages of 7 and 17) are legally competent
in a limited sense (§ 106 BGB). But if they want to conclude a (purchase)
agreement, the permission of their parents is required.

If an underage child, however, buys something with his or her pocket money
(so-called “pocket money paragraph,” § 110 BGB), the contract is valid from
the start, because the allocation of pocket money is seen as the silent consent
of the parents.

If an adolescent concludes such a contract on the internet, particular provi-

sions apply for the protection of the consumer (§§ 312 c ff. BGB). According
to the conditions specified in the law, one can disengage from a purchase by
exercising the right of cancellation. No reason is required for this.
If an adolescent wishes to become a seller, he or she requires the consent
of his or her parents. Consent is also required if the adolescent installs a
homepage for commercial purposes. Irrespective of this, the liability risks
contained in the Teleservices Act (Telemediengesetz) have to be observed.
The adolescent as operator of the homepage therefore becomes a “service
provider” and is thus liable for his or her own and also for foreign content. If

I nternet and the law

there is a commentary function on the homepage or if contents are linked,
then the adolescent is also liable for the content of third parties.

Conversely, caution is also required if the adolescent makes statements or

comments on social networks, internet forums or blogs. Because, via § 7 of the
Teleservices Act, the general laws again apply, for example the criminal code,
the civil code, but also the Federal Data Protection Act and the Constitution. If
the blog operator has no knowledge of illegal content, he or she is not respon-
sible for it, and then it remains the responsibility of the adolescent who has
made the relevant statements.
CHAPTER 8

135
8.5 Legal obligations of parents

The district court in Bad Hersfeld on 15 May 2017 formulated the guidelines
and duties of parents, should they allow their underage children to use a
smartphone or WhatsApp (see www.t1p.de/bkqx). The parents thus have a
fundamental “duty to provide parental supervision, control and avoid danger
in the use of digital ‘smart’ media (smartphones, tablets, apps, messenger
services), as well as clear agreements of media usage within the family.”

Specifically, the following guidelines were formulated in the decision:

1. “If parents provide their underage child with digital ‘smart’ devices
(e.g., smartphone) for continuous personal use, they are obliged
to properly supervise the use of this device until the child reaches
maturity.

2. If the parents themselves do not have sufficient knowledge of ‘smart’

technology and the world of digital media, then they have to acquire
the necessary knowledge directly and continuously in order to prop-
erly fulfill their duties of supervision and monitoring.

3. There are no reasonable grounds for leaving a smartphone with a

child at bedtime.

4. It is necessary to formulate a parent-child agreement regarding

media usage in case of significant misconduct in the use of media by
the child or by a parent, also if there is a danger of media addiction.

5. Anyone using the messenger service WhatsApp, in accordance with

the technical specifications of the service, is continuously transmit-
ting data in a clear-data form of all the contacts entered in their own
smartphone address book to the company behind the service.

6. Anyone who, by using WhatsApp, allows this continuous transfer of

data without first having obtained permission from their telephone
contacts, is committing a criminal (punishable) offense in relation
to these people and is thus in danger of being issued a warning with
costs. (Note: see www.t1p.de/dma0)
7. If children or adolescents under the age of 18 years use the messen-
ger service WhatsApp, the parents as custodians have the duty to
inform the child about the dangers involved in the use of this mes-
senger service and to take the necessary precautions in the interests
of their child.”

In the negotiated case, the guiding principles have been supplemented by

I nternet and the law

specific conditions, which have to be proven in court, e.g.:

1. “The mother of the child is obliged to conclude a written media usage

agreement with her son E. …

2. The mother of the child is required to obtain written permission from all
the persons currently stored in the contacts of her son E.’s smartphone,
the telephone number(s) and the name – if so, in whichever form (pseudo-
nym, abbreviation or first name and/or surname as clear data) – and that
the data from there is regularly transmitted by means of the application
used by E., namely WhatsApp, to the operator WhatsApp in California/USA,
where such data may be freely used for a variety of purposes by the operator
under its terms of use.
CHAPTER 8

3. The mother of the child is obliged regularly – at least once a month – to

have discussions with her son E. about the use of his smartphone and the
contacts which are saved on it, and also to personally inspect the smart-
phone and its contacts. With regard to new persons added to the contacts

137
 on the smartphone, the mother of the child then has to proceed without
delay in accordance with the requirement under clause 2.

4. If the mother of the child … cannot prove the existence of a written agree-
ment in accordance with clause 2 with regard to all the persons listed in
the contacts of her son’s smartphone, she must temporarily remove the
WhatsApp application from her son’s smartphone and keep it off the phone
until proof has been provided for all the people stored on the contacts.

5. The mother of the child is assigned to immediately collect her child’s

smartphone before going to bed and to provide him with an alarm that is
not run on an online network.

Herewith the law, among other things, very clearly shows the extent of the
duty of the parents to ensure that the personal data of uninvolved persons
and their privacy are protected, and not jeopardized by the child’s ignorant or
careless behavior in the use of a smartphone. The gradually increasing loss
of privacy is the greatest risk in the use of apps on smartphones and tablets.
This is why the term “super bugging device” used for smartphones or for many
apps is verifiable and justified.
Suggested Reading

Save Childhood Movement (2016).

Seven Priorities for Early Years Policymaking.
Available as a PDF document: www.savechildhood.net/wp-content/
uploads/2016/10/Seven-Priorities-for-Early-Years-Policymaking.pdf

All-Party Parliamentary Group (2019).

Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health and
Wellbeing. Available as a PDF document: www.rsph.org.uk/
uploads/assets/uploaded/8c1612c4-54aa-4b8d-8b61281f19fb6d86.pdf

I nternet and the law

All-Party Parliamentary Group (2018).
Mental Health in England, All-party Parliamentary
Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood. Available
as a PDF document: royalpa.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/
mh_report_june2018.pdf

CHAPTER 8

139
Bibliography and
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Title photo: Syda Productions / fotolia.de

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R eferences
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R eferences
elektromagnetischer Strahlung e. V. (Deutschland)
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B ibliography and
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Important note
This book contains links to external websites of third parties over which we
have no control. Therefore Waldorf Publications (publisher in the United
States), InterActions (English publisher) and diagnose:media (original German
publisher) are also not liable for this content. The provider or operator of the
pages is always responsible for the content of the linked pages. The online
links and suggested literature are given purely as indications for specific
supportive material or further reading that is available related to the subject
matter of the book and are not intended as endorsement of all the contents
and pages of the book or website.

The information and advice in this guide were processed with great care by the
authors and editors and were confirmed with media experts and educators.
However, all readers have to decide for themselves to what extent they want
to apply the suggestions in this book. In the case of health matters needing
medical attention, they should not be taken as a substitute for seeking profes-
sional help. In this context, a warranty, liability or other legal responsibility of
the authors or publishers for the content of this guide is precluded.

Note to the English translation and references

The numbered references throughout the text and listed in the back of the
book are mostly referring to German documents and studies, with a few
exceptions. As these were the basis for various findings noted in the writeup,
they have been left in their original form, with English translations of titles put
in brackets. On the other hand, for the Suggested Reading pages it seemed
appropriate to find English titles on similar subjects as substitutes for the Ger-
man books given in the original. This also applied to online sites referred to
within the chapter texts, given as links for advice and further information. The
readings and links may not be exact matches, and anyone wishing to see the
originals please go to the website of the German publisher, www.diagnose-media.
org, where copies of the German book may be ordered and where you can also
find an online chapter-by-chapter edition.

155
Acknowledgments

Putting this book together in the original German edition was a collaborative
effort of 15 organizations, spanning a period of over five years. It would be
impossible to list all the individuals involved, including those who pulled all
the research together for the final publication. We are grateful for all those
who contributed to this process. A list of the 15 partner organizations is
included in the back of the book. For the English edition I am indebted to
Dr. Michaela Glöckler, a contributor and editor of the original publication, for
her undying enthusiasm and support for getting the book to print in spite of
very tight timelines. Further for this edition, we are grateful to the Ruskin Mill
Educational Trust for their financial support for the translation; to Astrid Klee
for the translation; to Gabriel Millar for the proofreading; to Chris Griffiths of
StroudPrint for the layout work; and to Steve Goodall of Wynstones Press for
his collaboration on distribution. Last but far from least I am grateful to my
family for their patience while I kept my nose to the grindstone in order to
meet deadlines, sometimes necessitating a temporary neglect of household
duties. But the main inspiration through the process has been the book: as a
valuable contribution to finding a healthy approach toward the use of digital
media in childhood and adolescent years. Richard Brinton
InterActions

We at Waldorf Publications add our gratitude to Richard Brinton’s and state

the honor and appreciation we feel at being able to publish this book for
a North American audience, especially for Waldorf schools. We decidedly
are riding on the coattails of the efforts of those who spent the five years
described in the acknowledgments above. We most energetically thank Dr.
Michaela Glöckler for her untiring focus on children, her striving to protect
them from the contemporary and aggressive assault, largely from technolo-
gy, on their well-being and their very childhood. This book is one significant
element in this overarching work in Dr. Glöckler’s assiduous efforts. We would
also thank Richard Brinton for his patient inclusion of Waldorf Publications
and our North American community in the receipt of the translated text and
participation in the wider distribution of this good book through publication
with us. Thanks, too, to Neil Carter in New Zealand. His edits assisted ours in
making for a smooth manuscript in “American” English (not to be confused
with the language of English used in the UK!). Patrice Maynard
Waldorf Publications
 GROWING UP HEALTHY

GROWING UP HEALTHY IN A WORLD OF DIGITAL MEDIA

IN A WORLD OF
This guide explains the dangers and risks
DIGITAL MEDIA
to children and adolescents inherent in
the new media: A guide for parents and caregivers
of children and adolescents
Impairment of brain development, communications stress, danger of
addiction, loss of privacy, sites that are unsuitable for young people,
cyberbullying and health impairment due to continuous radiation
from wireless devices.

This book illustrates the legal regulations, the safety measures

and possible actions needed to prevent dangers or to address
them appropriately. It provides an educational standpoint which
represents a responsible balance between the needs of children and
adolescents and the restrictions which are required as precautionary
measures to safeguard their development and well-being.

“It is the paradox of our digital future: Brain

development needs time and skillful play, work
and action within the real world throughout the
first 15 to 16 years. The result is the faculties of self
control and self thinking, which are fundamental
for media competence. The authors of this book,
all specialists, offer practical advice for age-
appropriate brain stimulation, encouraging
teachers and parents to find ways to protect their

Michaela Glöckler, MD
children from the unnecessary and damaging too-
early use of electronic devices. They give advice for
helping children develop their unique creativity and
learn how to learn out of their own initiative.”
Dr. Michaela Glöckler, Pediatrician

I S BN 978- 1- 943582- 3 5 - 8

351 Fairview Avenue

Suite 625
Hudson, NY 12534 9 781943 582358