Klaus Hurrelmann works as Senior Professor of Public Health and Education at the Hertie School in Berlin
Ob TiktokInstagram or Snapchat: It is high time to stop trivializing these platforms as “social media”. The term suggests exchange and responsibility – in reality, behind it are profit-oriented corporations that work according to the rules of the attention economy. Their algorithms reward extremes: violence, hatred, insults and humiliation.
The Aktuelle Trend Study Youth in Germanland shows: TikTok is used by 50 percent of young people under 30, closely followed by Snapchat at 49 percent. The younger the users are, the more intensively and exclusively the platforms are visited. For the young generation, they are the absolutely predominant medium.
The majority consider themselves to be digitally confident and predominantly see advantages in using it. At the same time, however, over half of young people report psychological stress caused by social media. A third describe their own use as “addictive” – with clearly visible consequences. They complain of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and listlessness.
Many parents, educators and politicians react with concern and are calling for a ban on its use by children and young people. That is understandable, but a ban does not help. This means that the 70 percent of young people who use the technology confidently would be cut off from it, while the 30 percent with problematic usage behavior would no longer have a chance to develop digital skills. That’s why the decisions have to be made Social Media A different principle applies: it is not young people who need to be harassed, but the platforms. German politicians must no longer shift responsibility to families. Instead it needs:
- strict age verification with graduated rights for young people
- clear boundaries in the design of the platforms, i.e. no algorithmic amplification of violence or hatred
- a ban on manipulative features such as endless scrolling
- Full transparency: Platforms must disclose what data they collect and how their algorithms work
- State supervisory bodies with the right to intervene, which can also impose fines
- the promotion of alternative platforms oriented towards the common good
At the same time, digital education is finally at the center of educational efforts at school and at home. Children and young people need training for a reflective, confident use of smartphones, platforms and artificial intelligence. Parents should receive media education opportunities so that they can not only control their children, but also accompany them. At school, it’s about the guided use of digital learning programs in the subjects, about interdisciplinary projects in which digital teaching materials are developed themselves – and about training students to become digital mentors for their peers.
Many schools have already recognized this. Your school management is driving digitalization forward – often faster than the authorities. But skills are often still missing, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence. Here, projects like Digital School Story show how young people use digital tools and learn teamwork, agility and critical thinking. 600 schools are already taking part.
The digital transformation of schools is not a technical project, but a social and cultural one. What we need can be summarized in three points: Firstly, the courage to regulate the platforms. Secondly, determined promotion of skills so that every student acquires digital sovereignty. And thirdly, we need schools that create digital learning cultures and open spaces for participation. If we can do this, we will enable the next generation to deal critically, creatively and democratically with the technologies of their time.
