89% of the children and adolescents used messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Co .. Image: Symbol
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WIESBADEN – Access to digital media is a form of social participation for children and young people – and not just since the corona pandemic. For most children and young people, the Internet is part of everyday life. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on the occasion of “Safer Internet Day” on February 9, 2021, around 89% of 10 to 15 year olds used messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and Co. Fast in the first quarter of 2020 two thirds (61%) were active in social networks and almost half (43%) shared content they had created themselves on websites. As in real life, children and adolescents must be protected from problematic content or even abuse on the Internet. The EU-wide day of action is intended to raise awareness and contribute to more Internet security.
Significantly greater use of streaming services, video telephony and e-mail communication
DISPLAY
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The corona pandemic and the associated distance learning could have been one reason why some Internet activities among young people in Germany have changed. The use of social networks has changed little among children and adolescents: 61% were active there in the 1st quarter of 2020, compared to 64% in the 1st quarter of 2018. Likewise, 79% of young people used the Internet to play or download games in the 1st quarter of 2020 as in the 1st quarter of 2018 (81%). In contrast, within two years the proportion of 10 to 15-year-olds who watched videos from commercial streaming providers such as Netflix on the Internet rose from 36% to 58% in the first quarter of 2020. The same increased by almost 10 percentage points Internet and video calls increased over the period – from 72% to 82%. And communication via e-mail has also become increasingly important for young people: While almost half (48%) of young people used the Internet for e-mail in 2018, it was 64% in 2020.
Teenagers are far less concerned about online activity being recorded than older ones
The more and the more frequently data is exchanged on the Internet, regardless of whether through video telephony, messenger or social media, the more important protective measures become to control access to personal information. Young people are less aware of such issues than other age groups. More than a third (39%) of 10-15 year olds had no concerns that their online activities were being recorded in order to offer tailored advertising. 45% of the youth had minor concerns, 14% had major concerns. When looking at all age groups, the picture is reversed: while 43% also had minor concerns about collecting data for advertising purposes, 36% had major concerns and only around a tenth (11%) had no concerns at all.
Source: Federal Statistical Office
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