Overview
- A Bitkom survey finds children use smart TVs by age four, PCs by seven, tablets by eight and receive their first smartphone at nine.
- Parental enforcement of time limits and safety settings drops from 94% for 6- to 9-year-olds to 40% for 13- to 15-year-olds and just 10% for 16- to 18-year-olds.
- Eight in ten parents worry about cyberbullying and over half report their children have encountered harassment, disturbing content or contact from strangers online.
- Despite these concerns, 78% of parents value social media for helping children stay connected with friends, share creative content and deepen personal interests.
- Nearly four in five parents call for mandatory digital literacy education in schools and a legal minimum age of 14 for social network use.