Parents ally in the fight against digital temptation

The Federal Council is examining a social media ban for teenagers. Associations for a childhood -free childhood are already implementing this. The digital pact also includes: Up to 14 years, children only tap around on digital devices under the supervision of their parents.

To put a child from the wheel of a car after he has just learned to securely with the bike through the neighborhood to pedals? Nobody would come to mind, says Alberto Pellai. The doctor, psychotherapist and scientist for public health at the University of Milan calls for handling it immediately on the smartphone. The child’s brain is not yet sufficiently mature to process the constant stimuli to regulate consumption independently. Social retreat and poor school performance are possible consequences.

Pellai is considered a luminary in his field. He is a kind of European counterpart to the US social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. In his bestseller “Generation Fear”, this shows how uncontrolled screen consumption can seriously impair the health of teenagers.

Switzerland has also achieved the debate about a smartphone ban. Many schools have already defined usage rules. On Monday, Nidwalden was the first German -Swiss canton of uniform guidelines for the entire elementary school. In class, during the break and on the school area, smartphones and Co. are taboo – except for emergencies or when teachers use them for teaching purposes.

Digital pact takes on parents

The 50-year-old, who works in the energy industry today, studied journalism in England and lived there for ten years. From the island, she imported the topic of smartphone -free childhood as a parent movement. She did not want to catapult the children back into the Stone Age. Your sons can also surf the Internet on the Internet. « According to studies, a child’s mental health suffers, the earlier it receives his own smartphone, » says Berchtold. In addition, analogous leisure activities often fell behind.

Berchtold also relies on their own everyday observations: « If you constantly see people who stare at their screens and are traveling in their own film, you do not need any studies to recognize that we are increasingly moving away from a common experience. » You can also get bored.

400 families have joined together

With the Association of Smartphone -free childhood, she would like to enable parents to use the digital world in their environment for conscious use of the digital world. The movement is getting more and more encouragement. So far, 400 families have come together in all cantons into WhatsApp groups who support the association’s credo. The Berchtold family organizes the leisure activities of their own children without any problems. The sons are also part of it without a smartphone.

Dealing with digital temptations is an issue worldwide. The World Health Organization WHO has identified the problematic use of social media as a serious problem for public health. Australia has taken on a pioneering role and lasted young people from access to social media last November. However, the first reports indicate that this ban will be undermined-for example, as children pretend to be a 16-year-old when registering or surfing on smartphones of older friends.

Despite the difficulties of implementation, the Federal Council is now also checking a regulation as in Australia. At the end of February he recommended a corresponding one postulate by Councilor Maya Graf (Greens, BL) for acceptance. Graf refers to studies that showed that the permanent availability of smartphones reduces the ability to focus on focused thinking, promoting addictive behavior and favoring attention deficits. A Anticipation Her Neuchâtel Council and Party colleague Céline Vara aims in a similar direction. Also the Nidwaldner Middle National Councilor Regina Durrer demands that the Federal Council better protect minors from the risks of social media.

According to the survey, restrictions are well received

The motto « Less online, more life » is well received by the people. According to a current one Sotomo survey 68 percent of the respondents support a ban on tictok, and even 82 percent a cell phone spell in schools. And one petition Almost 37,000 times have been signed for an age limit for 16 years for social media. She is aimed at Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume Schneider.

What does the Pro Juventute Foundation say on the subject? « An absolute smartphone and social media ban for children and adolescents is not expedient and difficult to implement, » says spokesman Olivier Reber. However, it is important that parents set up clear rules and accompanied their children closely in dealing with digital devices. It’s about questions like: Do you know the risks? Do you know how you can protect yourself from dangers such as cyberbullying, unpleasant encounters online and questionable content?

Pro Juventute has one Checklist created. According to the foundation, the young people are usually from 12 or 13 years Ripe enough for a responsible handling of smartphones. When the right time came, however, cannot be said in general, because: « Every child is different. »

Reber shows understanding for initiatives such as Obiettivo14+ and the association Smartphone -free childhood Switzerland. It was very positive when parents were deeply concerned. What is more important, however, is to convey media literacy to children in a age -appropriate manner: « At the age of 16, they should not be thrown into the cold water unprepared. »