Media usage
The best tips for families against TV stress at Christmas
This will help you avoid fighting over television over the Christmas period.
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Disputes about the program, non-stop streaming among kids and partners. How families can avoid media stress over Christmas.
Media have become an indispensable part of our lives. We all consume more often and for longer than the generation before us. But media consumption also often causes controversy. Because children often look too much and the wrong thing. Because families spend more time in front of the screen than together – or because you just can't agree on a common program. The best tips against TV stress over the holidays.
Around three out of four families across Germany have subscribed to a streaming service, according to the JIM study, which regularly examines the media usage behavior of young people. Children and young people mainly use Netflix: 24 percent of 12 to 13 year olds and 42 percent of 14 and 15 year olds watch regularly.
Use the profile settings for children
In order to avoid controversy, parents should set up profiles for children and young people on the streaming services and set them so that only age-appropriate content is displayed, advises the website www.klicksafe.de, which is part of the European Union's initiative for more security in Internet is. Klicksafe offers a guide on how to do this on Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime and other streaming services.
An alternative to streaming and TV, especially for smaller children, are the youth-friendly media libraries of the public TV channels, where complete seasons of children's programs are offered, including "KIKA", "ZDF tivi", "SWR Kinderetz", "Check Eins – Kinderprogramm im Erste" or "BR Kinder".
Too much media use is particularly harmful to young children
It is important to keep an eye on the duration of media usage. Too much has negative effects on mental and physical development, especially in young children. Children under the age of three should not watch films. Audio stories, family photos to tap, or video calls with friends or grandparents are best, no more than a few minutes a day.
Kita children should only watch films – simply drawn and with little editing sequence – in the presence of their parents, more than 20 minutes a day is not advisable. Younger children in particular also need support to process what they see. Also at Christmas a good opportunity to accompany the transition from film to analog get-togethers. The children can tell the grown-ups what they saw and understood. Parents can ask questions and listen.
For schoolchildren, the potential for controversy about media increases exponentially with age. More and more parents can tell you a thing or two about that. It is best for families to set a fixed media usage time together with the children over the holidays and public holidays, recommends Klicksafe. Young people need their freedom, but it is advisable to check the content even at an advanced age. Films are often used to create identity for teenagers, but not all that is shown is good. It is still important to adhere to the FSK information.
Give away media vouchers with fixed times for Christmas that the children can redeem
Often there is a game console under the Christmas tree – parents should also set up fixed usage times together with the children and help determine the time of day. Right before they go to sleep, media can, for example, agitate children or cause sleep disorders. Regular breaks in the screen and exercise are also important. Up to the age of ten, children should use digital media for an average of 45 minutes per day.
A practicable solution are media vouchers that the children can redeem. Some parents give out the vouchers after doing household chores or homework or as a Christmas present. The vouchers give the kids a certain amount of time to watch or play, but they also take responsibility and offer parents a good overview of how long their child uses media.
Finally, parents should also regularly review and reconsider their own media use. In the bedroom, screens and cell phones should be taboo, as light and electricity negatively affect sleep. Smartphones should also be switched off or muted when eating or doing things together. And: less is more! It is better to talk and discuss one film together than to watch many films for themselves.