Overview
- New reporting compiles evidence of early ownership and heavy use, with the KIM 2024 study putting first smartphones at 8.5 years and OECD comparisons noting high weekly screen time that can reach about 48 hours for some 15-year-olds.
- Health research links higher screen time to greater risks of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and ADHD-like symptoms, while cyberbullying and exposure to extremists and abusers are cited as additional hazards.
- Problematic patterns are widespread, as Ruhr University Bochum finds pronounced addictive symptoms in many 18–20-year-olds and DAK data indicate that one in four 10–17-year-olds use social media in risky or pathological ways.
- With no universally enforced age verification in place, guidance centers on household measures such as safeguarded access to messaging around age 13, clear rules and time limits, parking phones at night and using parental-control apps.
- Support options highlighted include Caritas counseling and the ‘Schau hin!’ toolkits, and a meta-analysis reports that parental digital distraction correlates with worse cognitive, emotional and social outcomes for children.