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Children and the media: How early is too early?




It is no longer a rare sight today: small children, for example in a stroller, who are busy with a mobile phone or a tablet. Are digital media a relief for parents or a danger for the little ones?

The fact is that there are many uncertainties when it comes to the question of which media make sense and when. Some parents often put their 1-year-old offspring in front of the TV so that they have a quiet minute. Sure, some peace and quiet sounds heavenly, but are digital media the right way to go in such a case? Other parents, on the other hand, prohibit their children from using any of their own digital media up to a certain age – such as high school – in order to protect them from negative influences.

Of course, it is not only parents or other guardians who have to make decisions about the digital usage behavior of their offspring today. In the meantime, the topic is also omnipresent in early school education.
 

What is recommended for parents?

Corinne Reber works at BFF Bern and publishes, among other things, on the topic of digital media in early school education. She explains the greatest danger of using digital media in childhood: "The danger is that children have no other relationship to digital media than that they are used for consumption." The lecturer in media education therefore recommends that parents show their children that "digital media are not only something to consume, but also something with which you can create, communicate and learn". In general, she recommends that children should not be exposed to digital media in the first two years of life, because the sounds, light and colors on screens can be overwhelming.

Both Corinne Reber and Monika Luginbühl, lecturer in social and media education at BFF Bern, see not only parents, but also teachers and state authorities as having a duty when it comes to digital media in early childhood.

What can professionals learn?

There are many starting points for specialists. One that Corinne Reber particularly emphasizes is training. She explains that although the topic has already been partially included in the training and further education offers, she still sees enormous potential.

In addition, she recommends that digital media should not be seen and used as a substitute for the real environment, but as a supplement. For example, digital microscopes can be used to show children their environment from a completely different perspective.

Children must be accompanied in dealing with digital media, and not primarily kept away from them.

Corinne Reber, Lecturer in Media Education, BFF Bern

But... why?

It is obvious that parents should show their children how to use digital media in a healthy and beneficial way. But educators and other professionals? Why you?

Well, the ongoing digitalization not only offers a variety of risks, but at least as many opportunities. However, these opportunities are not equally distributed, but depend to a certain extent on factors such as the origin, education or socioeconomic status of the parents. Therefore, not everyone has the same access to digital media. And not all parents have the opportunity to accompany their children in this area.

It is therefore also the task of daycare centres, kindergartens or other pre-school offers to make up for this unequal distribution and to enable everyone to use digital media responsibly and creatively.
 

What can I do?

Whether professional or parent, since children come into contact with digital media at an early age, dealing with them is of central importance. Accompanied use of digital media from the 2nd birthday is recommended. Ideally, the support includes four areas of support:

  1. Successively expand experience and practical knowledge in dealing with media.
  2. Develop an understanding and skills of digital media and use them for their own affairs.
  3. Consciously perceive and reflect on one's own media use.
  4. Understanding the nature and function of digital media

Stumbling block media addiction

What is often forgotten is that an unfavorable use of digital media and excessive media consumption are often two sides of the same coin. Monika Luginbühl does not see the problem here in the fact that the topic is not taken seriously, but that most people simply know too little about it.

It's easy to say that someone is just addicted to a mobile phone – without any in-depth knowledge of what that means exactly.

Monika Luginbühl, Lecturer in Social and Media Pedagogy, BFF Bern

Erasing this knowledge gap is a major concern of media education. Monika Luginbühl explains that in this topic, too, analogous to the general handling of the media, not only parents have a duty, but also professionals and state authorities must do their part.

So?

The correct use of digital media, especially in early childhood, is groundbreaking for the future media use of adolescents. There are opportunities, such as a more comprehensive exploration of the environment, an unprecedented multitude of ways to get creative, or a wealth of communication possibilities that surpasses anything that has gone before. However, these opportunities must not make us forget the risks. And these occur especially when a child does not learn to use digital media responsibly from an early age. On this path, parents and professionals need to be accompanied, but also suitable framework conditions and support from other agencies.

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