Federal Minister of Family Affairs Karin Prien (CDU) is calling for increased support for parents following the findings of an expert commission concerning online youth safety. Prien stated to the “Funke”-Mediengruppe’s newspapers that parenting skills in media are effectively taught in everyday life at home rather than in schools. According to her, children tend to learn by observing how their parents utilize media and how conversations about content take place. However, the CDU politician emphasized that many parents feel unsupported. She pointed out that existing resources are often unclear and not accessible across the board, especially given the rapid development of technology. Therefore, she asserted, “We must not lecture parents, but rather empower them”.
Prien also indicated that improvements are needed in media literacy for children and adolescents, noting that current provisions are uneven-sometimes depending on the personal interest of individual teachers-which she deemed insufficient for such an important issue.
These statements come against the backdrop of intermediate results from an expert commission on online youth protection, which was established in autumn and whose findings were reported by the “Funke”-Mediengruppe on Monday.
The experts, whose report spans 128 pages, painted a nuanced picture: while clearly naming the risks associated with social media use for young people-such as exposure to content that glorifies violence or extremism, experiences of sexual harassment, stalking, or bullying, or being targeted for identity theft-the commission also acknowledged the significant access these digital media provide. Consequently, smartphones and tablets are considered inseparable from the daily lives of children and adolescents, and the age of initial exposure is decreasing, with even toddlers often possessing a parent’s tablet or smartphone. Furthermore, the report notes that 12- to 13-year-olds average nearly three hours of daily smartphone use, a figure that climbs with age, reaching over four and a half hours for those aged 18 to 19.
Regarding risks, the experts stated that internet access, and particularly social networking sites, carry substantial dangers. On the positive side, the commission confirmed that online networks offer vital opportunities for adolescents, pointing out that young people belonging to queer or other minority groups benefit disproportionately by finding communities online that they might lack offline, for example, due to living in rural areas.
Prien concluded by reiterating that “digital spaces also offer great opportunities for education, identity development, and societal participation, so we must also address protected participation”.