BERLIN, Feb 16 (Bernama-dpa) — More than a quarter of children and young people in Germany use social media to a risky — or even addictive — degree, according to a new study, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Addictive behaviour is on the rise, according to new figures from health insurer DAK-Gesundheit, which were made available to dpa in Berlin on Monday.
Last autumn, 21.5 per cent of respondents reported risky use of social media – compared to 21.1 per cent in September/October 2024.
When it comes to online videos, 21.4 per cent watched them in risky amounts, compared to 13.4 per cent in September/October 2024.
The study found 6.6 per cent of social media users and four per cent of video users are considered to be addicted.
This means that around 350,000 children and young people are using social media in a problematic way, according to estimates by DAK-Gesundheit.
Combining those at risk with those addicted means more than one if four children or youth in Germany use social media in a problematic way.
For media use to be considered addictive or problematic, it must be so excessive that it goes beyond what was planned or permitted and leads to negative consequences in other areas of life.
These include arriving late to school, getting lower grades, experiencing sleep disorders and other symptoms that can accompany loss of control. Risky use is extensive, but not yet entrenched to a severe degree.
The study found children and young people use social media for an average of 2.7 hours on a normal weekday and 3.3 hours at the weekend.
The average time spent using social media has therefore fallen slightly.
The chairman of DAK-Gesundheit, Andreas Storm, nevertheless called the development alarming.
“We must act quickly now to protect and support our children,” he said.
The introduction of age limits alone is not enough; more media literacy training is also needed.
Both political parties in Germany’s coalition government are looking at ways of restricting children’s access to social media.
–BERNAMA-dpa