Keeping an eye on smartphone consumption

Information and tips for everyday (digital) family life

Keeping an eye on smartphone consumption

Time-eater video loop
From short cartoon clips from "Die Sendung mit der Maus" to do-it-yourself videos - there's no question that there are many entertaining or useful videos for young and old on the Internet. After watching the video, people are happy to drift off for a while, because many other videos invite them to linger on the platforms. The goal of providers such as YouTube is to keep users on the platforms: the longer the service is active, the more advertising can be placed. The automated, infinite video loop is preset and continues after each video is viewed. Admittedly, not only children and teenagers, but also adults sometimes find it difficult to jump off.

Just one more round, Mom!
Smartphone games fascinate many boys and girls! This is confirmed by the JIM Study 2017: 32% of the girls and 52% of the boys surveyed between the ages of 12 and 19 play them regularly, because the cell phone is always and everywhere with them. If we compare the various gaming options (computer, console, online, tablet and mobile games) in detail, mobile or smartphone games have the greatest significance in the everyday media lives of young people and are used regularly by a total of 42%. "The average gaming time of twelve- to 19-year-olds, based on all gaming options, is 84 minutes per day during the week (109 minutes on weekends), according to their own estimates. At 124 minutes, boys play three times as long as girls (42 min.; on weekends: girls: 51 min., boys: 163 min.)."
(Source: JIM Study 2017, p. 49 ff.)

Always and everywhere informed
Bing, Bing - a soft chime and the constantly flashing light on the smartphone indicate that there is something new, a new article, a new Whatsapp message, a new offer, a new video. Whether communication platforms like Facebook or apps from daily newspapers, many apps offer push messages as a function for smartphone users, promising to keep their users up to date anytime and anywhere. What seems practical at first glance can become a stress factor, because curiosity about what's new is usually high.

Keep an eye on your own media use and set an example
Regardless of whether you are a teenager at school, an adult at work or a parent with supervisory responsibilities for a small child, whether at night or during a family meal together, everyone should find a way to deal sensibly with the flood of information.
From cleaning out smartphone apps, to muting the device or individual apps, to consciously fasting from cell phones - sometimes less is more! klicksafe has compiled tips and materials below to help with this.

Regulation of usage times - What can each individual do for themselves? What can young people, parents and educators do?

For young people


For educators:

  • klicksafe for educators: Topic smartphones and apps in the classroom
  • klicksafe teaching material Always ON: The material helps teachers to discuss being "online all the time" in class and offers a lot of information, worksheets and suggestions for a more conscious use of digital media.
  • Cell phone rules at schools: Tips from klicksafe and Handysektor


For parents:

  • Find rules - avoid disputes with the help of the media usage agreement from klicksafe and Internet ABC (for the age groups 6-12 years and +12 years): In many families, especially the times of use or the type of content allowed are always a topic of dispute. In order to avoid disputes or discussions about cell phone, computer, television or Internet use in many cases, a media use agreement drawn up jointly and at an early stage can help. Because then it is clear what is allowed and what is not. Prepared rules and different design templates make it easier to draw up. www.mediennutzungsvertrag.de
  • klicksafe for parents: Information and tips for parents on the Internet and smartphones.
  • Digital dependency: klicksafe tips for parents, a flyer from klicksafe


Technical resources from the providers:

Sources:
JIM Study 2017: PDF file
& nbsp;