Digital everyday family life in primary/primary school age

Media education is becoming increasingly more demanding. Parents are often unsettled, worried or overwhelmed.

Our cooperation partner Safterinternet presents a new study “Digital media in primary school age”.

12 children aged 6 to 9 and their parents report on their use of digital media.

Children of elementary school age are already using the Internet more and more intensively. It's not just parents' computers or smartphones that are used for this. By the end of primary school, well over half of the children have their own devices . This early media consumption raises many questions: What do children do on the Internet? What challenges are there in everyday digital family life? How can media education succeed?

Parents are unsettled, worried and often overwhelmed

Media education has become more demanding in the digital world. That mothers and fathers in the age of mobile devices no longer based on the experiences of her own childhood with television or the shared family computer can fall back, triggers uncertainty. You are looking for guidance and answers to questions such as: What is appropriate media behavior? When is it appropriate for my child to have their own cell phone? How much time can it spend on the Internet? How can I restrict internet usage according to age? How can I make my own devices safe in the short term if my children use them?

Rules and limits – there are no magic bullets

The range of ways in which parents try to overcome the challenge of media education ranges from “burying their heads in the sand” to little control and even banning the internet. The good news is: Anyone who is uncertain about media education is by no means alone. Because it is time-consuming and laborious. And there is no magic formula. One thing is clear: setting rules and boundaries The parents surveyed use a wide range of options: from time limits to content requirements (e.g. not publishing photos without consent) and technical restrictions (e.g. turning off the WiFi router) to rules in everyday family life ( e.g. no media during meals).

It is important to find the right balance between control and trust in your own children or respect for their privacy. In any case, it is crucial that parents themselves adhere to the agreed rules.

Infographic_SID_2018_web Source: Saferinternet

Internet in primary school age: photos, YouTube, games

What do children prefer to use their smartphone or tablet for? They play a variety of computer games (e.g. Minecraft, Clash Royal or slither.io), take photos and share them with friends (e.g. in WhatsApp), they communicate with friends (also via WhatsApp), and search for interesting ones using Google content, such as B. look for pictures and watch videos on YouTube . This is why YouTube stars have a high status in children's lives. Examples of these “influencers” are Chaosflo44, BibisBeautyPalace, Julien Bam and ViktoriaSarina.

Many parents are surprised and concerned by the high level of media literacy among 6 to 9 year olds . Children often prove to be very adept at using devices and apps . A typical example of this is searching and editing photos . In addition, they can easily assess which images they are allowed to publish. , there is a great need for learning to evaluating content and recognizing sophisticated forms of advertising . Children also need support in recognizing their own limits and reacting to them sensibly. When faced with frightening content, little ones usually react by clicking away, turning their cell phone over, or distracting themselves, mostly by denying them.

What bothers children the most

Parents who do not adhere to agreed rules are among the biggest annoyances among the primary school students surveyed. For example, when adults themselves are too often distracted by their smartphones and children have to compete with their cell phones for attention. Or when parents send children’s photos without being asked . Another major disruptive factor for 6 to 9 year olds: annoying advertising that they can't click away. Last but not least among the annoyances of children is the exclusion when they cannot have a say or participate in their circle of friends because they do not have their own smartphone.

When discussing the first cell phone, some parents run the risk of lulling themselves into a false sense of security. be confronted with frightening content from their friends, at school or in their family environment . Media education is therefore necessary even if children do not have their own smartphone or tablet.

Recognize your own limits

can consciously recognize physical symptoms in themselves and sense when they are playing with smartphones etc. for too long. Parents can support their children in recognizing these limits and offer alternative courses of action.

Parents demand important school support

Parents are required to actively take care of media education. This includes a portion of basic knowledge about digital media , selecting age-appropriate content and agreeing on and adhering to rules . Mothers and fathers should also instruct children not only to let themselves be "dazzled" by digital media, but also to use them productively and creatively - from an online invitation to a party to a self-made birthday video for grandma. Elementary schools are called upon to expand the initiatives they have already started and to make competent and critical use of digital media part of the content of their lessons

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[vc_message message_box_color=“grey” icon_fontawesome=“fa fa-info”] About the study:
As part of the Saferinternet.at initiative, the Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) and the Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA) commissioned the Institute of Sociology the University of Vienna with a study on the topic of “Digital media in elementary school age” . In a qualitative study, 12 children aged 6 to 9 and their parents were asked about their use of digital media. The survey was supplemented by practical experience from hundreds of Saferinternet.at elementary school workshops in recent years.[/mk_info]