News Overview 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI for short) is an exciting and fast-growing technology. It is already influencing our lives in many ways. Artificial intelligence is in the voice assistant in our living room. The streaming service uses AI to suggest suitable movies and series. And the navigation system in our cars calculates the best way to avoid the next traffic jam while we're still driving. To understand how all this works, we explain the basics in our new topic area: What is an algorithm? What is machine learning? And what types of AI are there?

On September 21, 2023, klicksafe will host a free web seminar on "Already switched off today? Find your digital balance". Students, teachers, and educational professionals can learn why digital media can stress us out and what balanced media use looks like. The media scouts from Norf Comprehensive School will present an exciting talk followed by a Q&A session.

Digital media cast a spell over us all. But what is it that actually makes them so appealing? How do we prevent smartphones and the like from turning from everyday helpers into family quarrels? And how do we keep our usage time and that of our children under control? In a free web seminar for parents, klicksafe, together with the addiction help center in Aachen, gets to the bottom of these questions.

The Hot Chip Challenge is currently circulating on social media. Participants are asked to eat a tortilla chip with an extremely hot spice. Some media outlets are reporting on emergency medical services at schools. We provide information on how schools and parents can deal with online challenges that pose a health risk.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) came into force in November 2022. For users, however, the effects will only be felt gradually. Recently, the very large platforms with more than 45 million users have had to comply with the new rules of the DSA. This includes services such as Instagram, Google and Amazon. We explain what impact the new law will have on the use of the Internet by children and young people in Europe.

Everyday family life between the online world and real life can be exhausting. Between Zoom conferences and TikTok, gaming sessions and class chats, sometimes nerves get the better of us. klicksafe and Natascha Ochsenknecht help families stay digitally balanced.

In some German states, the new school year has already started. In others, it will start soon. klicksafe offers an overview of materials that teachers can use to bring media literacy into the classroom.

Discord is an online service that was originally developed for the needs of the video game community. Through Discord, people can network, chat, and talk while playing video games together online. Discord is still a platform that is especially popular in the video game scene, but is increasingly being used beyond that.

66 million people play on the online platform Roblox every day. About half of them are under 13 years old. Thus, Roblox has a special responsibility to ensure the safety of its users. Judith Eckart from jugendschutz.net explains in our new podcast episode which safety precautions are in place at Roblox and how well they work. The interview is based on the new report "Is Roblox safe?" by jugendschutz.net.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media services among young people in Germany. With our new quiz, young people can check how well they know about the platform. How do you recognize advertising? How do you protect yourself from harassment? And what's the blue tick all about? To go with this, a revised edition of our long-out-of-print Instagram flyer is now available to order again.

"But everyone else has one too!" - this argument is probably well known to parents. But how old should children be when they get their first cell phone? Many parents use the change from elementary to secondary school to equip their children with their own smartphone. How can parents tell if their child is ready for their own smartphone? And is a smartwatch a good alternative? We answer the most important questions parents have about smartphones in children's hands.

Snapchat is part of everyday communication for many young people. The free app can be used to send pictures and videos. It is particularly popular to edit the recordings with filters and effects. However, using the app also involves some risks that you should know about. With our new quiz, young people can check how well they know Snapchat. In addition, klicksafe also offers further information about the app.

There are lots of exciting things to discover online - and screen time is skyrocketing... The new support material for the media scouts' peer-to-peer work offers help. With it, students can consider together in class what digital balance means to them. And how they can avoid smartphones and other devices becoming a stress factor.

TikTok is always in the headlines. Most of the time, it's about the app's darker side. Fatal accidents caused by challenges. Possible surveillance by the Chinese government. Or an addictive algorithm. This doesn't seem to be hurting the app's success. In Germany, too, millions of young people use TikTok every day. With the new quiz on TikTok, young people learn in a fun way how to use the app more safely. In addition, klicksafe offers a lot more information and materials on the topic of TikTok.

The TOMMI children's software prize will be awarded for the 22nd time this year. The winners are selected by a children's jury. All interested parties between the ages of eight and sixteen can apply now. Daycare centers with innovative and proven concepts for the use of digital media are also being sought. Developers and publishers can submit current games and educational software to the TOMMI until August 18.