1,400 fifth graders go without social media for an entire school year. After six months there is an initial assessment: How does the experiment affect the children’s everyday life?
29.01.2026 | 2:52 min
Social media waiver for fifth graders: In Solingen they tested this for half a school year. The initial assessment from schools and project managers is predominantly positive.
The way children interact across schools has changed, says Jörg Augustin, head of the regional education office for the city of Solingen.
This is particularly evident during breaks: the children have become more interactive and playing has increased.
Jörg Augustin, head of the Solingen regional education office
The project is based on a contract between schools, children and parents. Around 1,400 fifth grade students signed it together with their parents to transfer to secondary school. In it, the legal guardians undertake to support their children not to use social media such as TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat too early. “We’re talking about an educational partnership between school and parents,” says Augustin. What is demonstrated in school should also continue after lessons.
The French National Assembly has voted in favor of a social media ban for those under 15, but the Senate still has to approve it. Australia introduced such a ban in December.
27.01.2026 | 0:16 min
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All twelve high schools, secondary schools and comprehensive schools in Solingen are taking part in the project. This will make doing without the new normal, says Augustin. Competitive situations between families and schools can be avoided through uniform rules. The contract to avoid social media is purely symbolic: There are no school consequences if children use social networks in their free time.
According to the JIM 2025 study, almost all young people between the ages of 12 and 19 have their own smartphone. On average, they spend around 231 minutes on their device every day. While 12 to 13 year olds get around 166 minutes per day, the usage time for adults is more than four and a half hours.
The most popular social networks include WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Two thirds of those surveyed stated that they often spend more time on their smartphone than originally planned. Three out of ten young people also report that they are often tired in the morning because they were on their cell phones for too long in the evening.
The project is supported psychologically at all schools in Solingen. School psychologist Markus Surrey believes that the introduced social media waiver is urgently necessary.
We are observing a rapid increase in psychological problems among children and young people. These include depression, difficulty concentrating, but also simply changes in how people interact with their peers.
Markus Surrey, school psychologist
Young people spend more than 70 hours online every week. Analogue life takes a back seat. What kind of psychological consequences does this have?
10.12.2025 | 2:11 min
A big driver of this development is intensive smartphone use, especially social media, says Surrey. The project promises to improve the mental health of the students in the long term.
The city-wide regulations are intended to make it easier for children to forego social networks. “The digital space becomes less relevant for children the moment they no longer interact with their social environment,” says Surrey.
Instead of a social media ban, more should be invested in media literacy. “We would like to have more regulations,” says Lilli Berthold, deputy general secretary of the Federal Student Conference.
23.01.2026 | 4:48 min
There is also discussion in Europe about tightening regulations. In France, the National Assembly voted by a clear majority to introduce an age limit of 15 years. If the Senate also approves the draft law, the ban could apply as early as the next school year.
Australia is the first country in the world to ban social networks for everyone under 16. The debate is also gaining new momentum in Germany: CDU Prime Minister Daniel Günther wants to initiate a ban.
23.01.2026 | 2:35 min
Project leader: Promote media literacy
In addition to not using social media, the schools in Solingen have also agreed to train media scouts. These are specially trained students from higher grades who pass on their experiences and support younger grades in using digital media. “A ban alone will not solve the problem,” says Surrey.
The older the students get, the less relevant external regulation becomes. Then we have to rely more on intrinsic motivation, i.e. on self-regulation.
Markus Surrey, school psychologist
Over 80 percent of Germans use social media, TikTok particularly rapidly. Young users are looking for information there – but are also increasingly coming across radical content.
02.05.2025 | 1:35 min
The aim is not only to restrict travel, but also to promote the media literacy of children and young people, says Jörg Augustin from the Solingen education office. Due to the positive feedback from students and parents, we plan to continue the project in the coming school year and expand it to other grades with age-appropriate regulations.
The program “Volle Kanne” reported on this topic on January 29, 2026 from 9:05 a.m.
