A current survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco* shows that parents primarily hold themselves responsible for their children's media literacy: 66.1 percent of the 1,000 parents surveyed said that the family was responsible for media education the children are responsible, 22.4 percent believe that this is an educational task of schools, for example, and 4 percent see the responsibility as politicians. (*see graphic 1)

Graphic 1: Which actors have the greatest responsibility for teaching media skills?
Graphic 1: Which actors have the greatest responsibility for teaching media skills?

Teaching media skills is a task for society as a whole

The results of the survey also underline the eco Complaints Office's over 25 years of experience as a knowledge and skills broker:

“The responsible use of the Internet and the teaching of digital skills must be seen as a task for society as a whole, as an interaction between parents, educational institutions, politicians and advisory contact points such as the eco complaints office. That’s the only way it works,” says Alexandra Koch-Skiba, head of the eco complaints office.

In order to train their children's media skills, 69.4 percent of parents regularly explain how to use digital media, 52.1 percent set concrete rules for media use, such as fixed screen times, 37 percent have installed parental control solutions on their children's devices (* see graphic 2).

Graphic 2: How do you teach your child to use media responsibly?
Graphic 2: How do you teach your child to use media responsibly?

Few parents use smileys to cover their child's face

Memorable photos are also an important topic on vacation - how can pictures of children and young people be shared safely via messenger services or social media platforms?

According to the eco survey, 81.6 percent of all parents surveyed limit the number of recipients when they share photos via messenger services; 77.7 percent do not send naked pictures of their children. But only 17.8 percent of parents make sure that their child's face is not in the picture. Only 8.8 percent use smileys to cover their child's face. (*see graphic 3)

Graphic 3: What do you pay attention to when sending children's photos?
Graphic 3: What do you pay attention to when sending children's photos?

Koch-Skiba advises parents to be more careful here. “It is absolutely understandable that parents take photos of their children on vacation and want to show them to others,” says Koch-Skiba. “But what is crucial is what can be seen in the images and with whom or on which platforms they are shared. Even though more and more parents are concerned, the survey results and our daily work show that a lot of educational work is still needed.”

* The opinion research company Civey surveyed 1,003 people on behalf of eco between July 27th. and interviewed on August 5, 2022. The results are representative of parents of children up to 18 years of age in Germany. The statistical error of the overall results is 4.5 percent.

Digital holiday photos: eco Complaints Office gives parents 5 tips

• Don't share pictures in bikinis, swimming trunks or too much bare skin

In principle, the lawyer and head of the complaints office recommends not sharing photos in which children and young people are seen naked or only lightly dressed. This also includes photos in swimwear. “Of course, parents also want to keep a record of the trip to the sea or the swimming pool, but special care must always be taken when sharing,” Koch-Skiba continued. She warns that the family photos can fall into the wrong hands and be sexualized.

• Cover or pixelate the faces of children and young people with smileys

But even with supposedly harmless photos, be careful. In the fight against sexual violence online, Koch-Skiba and her team also come across seemingly harmless images in which minors are fully clothed. “Even photos on the playground or at a child’s birthday party can sometimes appear in pedophile forums and be put in the wrong context,” warns Koch-Skiba. “If you cover your child’s face with a smiley, pixelate it or even just take a photo of the back of your head, you’re definitely safer.”

• Check security settings

Koch-Skiba also recommends only sharing photos with relatives or close friends. For this purpose, common social media platforms offer detailed security settings that go beyond the actual decision of a private or public account. “If I want to share vacation photos in my status – that is, temporarily and for up to 24 hours – I can now decide for each individual contact whether the photos are shown to them or not,” says Koch-Skiba.

• Respect children's rights

If possible, parents should also involve their children in deciding who they want to share their photos with. “If you introduce your children to this topic at an early age, you are also doing important educational work for their later use of social media as teenagers,” says Koch-Skiba. With regular workshops at schools and at parents' evenings, prevention is also part of the eco Complaints Office's remit.

• Report inappropriate photos

If internet users discover inappropriate photos of children and young people, they can also report them to the eco complaints office . Illegal content on the Internet can be reported here with just a few clicks and without providing your name or email address.

In line with this topic:

Holiday pictures: How to place children's pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Co.
BEST PLACE CHILDREN'S PHOTOS...


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )