Dangerous, but unavoidable: social media
Media education and media literacy is a topic that keeps us busy - and will continue to do so. Digital media is playing an increasingly important role in our children's everyday lives. It is therefore becoming increasingly important that we adults stay up-to-date and keep thinking about what we need to do to support our children.
The focus this time: How should we parents behave and support our children when they get access to social media or their own smartphone?
Although it is moving further and further forward, we paediatricians continue to advise that this should not happen before the end of primary school.
Children and young people are more or less automatically exposed to critical or harmful content as soon as they have their own smartphone or access to digital and social media. There is virtually nothing we can do to change this.
With the advent of artificial intelligence, there will be more and more fake content, and we can't really protect our children from that either.
What we can do: Signal early and repeatedly that we are there for them. That they can and should come to us - even and especially if something stupid has happened, perhaps they have fallen for someone in a chat.
We also want and need to talk about content. We are particularly concerned about the increasing spread of right-wing extremist content on TikTok. We parents need to keep talking to our children about what content they come across and how it should be categorised.
The top priority is: openness, no accusations, no fear of talking about certain things. We need to signal to children and young people that we are interested in this world and also engage with it ourselves - and not simply condemn it.
Further interesting tips
Psychological problem?
Today we have the combined knowledge of two experts: The Doc talked to Frank Köhnlein, author and child and adolescent psychiatrist from Basel, about the behaviour of children and adolescents in particular - and about when parents need to start worrying. The most important results.
"Democracy needs education"
A "must-read" for anyone who has to deal with children - especially in their early years: "Democracy needs education. Why resistance to authoritarian tendencies begins in childhood". A book by paediatrician Herbert Renz-Polster and Ulrich Renz - where the title already says a lot ..
Language development
Comparing children is rarely a good idea. But in one area, comparisons with others are even more stupid than they already are: language development. Because this is a very individual story. Nevertheless, there are of course a few pointers and tips. Not only the doctor knows this, but also Myriam Mayländer, speech therapist in Lorch.