Lübeck: Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, computer or game console – today’s children are exposed to digital media very early and on a daily basis. They offer many opportunities for learning, play and discovery. However, digitalization also poses new challenges for families. Experts are also critical of the screen time children in Lübeck spend.
Media consumption here is often too high. In Schleswig-Holstein, 47 percent of children aged four to six already spend more than half an hour in front of the TV, laptop and other digital devices during the week. On weekends it’s even 78 percent. This is the result of a survey of parents as part of the AOK Family Study in 2022. According to experts, daily media consumption by children in this age group should not exceed half an hour. But the content consumed is also critical. “Media literacy is important for children. Excessive and inappropriate media consumption can have a detrimental effect on the development and health of children. Especially if they don’t move much, they are no longer exploring their real world and there is no social contact. If children consume age-inappropriate content without supervision, this can also cause concern,” says AOK Regional Manager Reinhard Wunsch.
Children’s daily digital media consumption in Schleswig-Holstein is also critical for the seven to ten year old age group. The expert-recommended maximum of one hour per day is clearly exceeded here. 71 percent of parents surveyed said their children significantly exceed these values on weekends, and 26 percent on weekdays. According to the 2025 JIM (Youth, Internet, Media) study by the Association for Research in Media Education, children aged 12 to 13 spend more than 160 minutes a day in front of a screen. The study also takes a closer look at media literacy. According to this, only 35 percent of young people aged twelve to 13 believe they are able to recognize deepfakes (realistic media content created by AI) and only 33 percent know about reverse image search (this can be used to determine whether an image has already been published online).
Media literacy is closely linked to healthy adulthood. That is why AOK has been a partner of the national initiative “LOOK! What is your child doing with the media” and has now expanded cooperation again. “Preventive measures play an important role for AOK NordWest, including in the use of media by children and young people. In order for children to grow well with the media, parents themselves must be well informed, aware of current media trends, their opportunities and risks, and support their children in using the media. Thanks to SCHAU HIN! parents are strengthened so that they can prepare their children to use digital media,” says Wunsch, referring to the multi-year collaboration. “LOOK!” It is a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, public broadcaster ZDF and AOK. New media courses “LOOK HIN! for parents” – online, interactive, without advertising and free of charge – will be available in the fall.
According to the current AOK Family Study, caregivers no longer limit their children’s screen time as much as they did a few years ago. While in 2018, 86 percent of parents said they set limits on media use for their children under 14, the figure was only 76 percent in 2022. “We want to support parents in finding responsible relationships with their children,” says Wunsch. Children between the ages of three and six are already laying the necessary foundations for future use of the media. Since children learn through imitation, they are well positioned when parents set good examples.
In addition to sustainability, media literacy has been an integral part of AOC’s prevention program “JolinchenKids – Healthy and Healthy in Kindergarten” for many years. “Our focus used to be on nutrition, exercise and mental well-being. We see huge potential for health, especially in the area of media literacy, so we added this component,” says Wunsch.
There was great interest in digital parent evenings with media trainers from the SCHAU HIN team for parents of schools cooperating with AOK NordWest, who have firmly integrated health promotion into their daily school life. Parents took the opportunity to gain valuable advice on how to cope with digital and media trends for the whole family.
More information about AOC’s partnership with LOOK HIN! and valuable advice can be obtained free of charge here: www.schau-hin.info
Around every second child in Schleswig-Holstein between the ages of four and six spends too much time in front of a screen. Photo: AOK/Colourbox/hfr.
Text number: 180828 Author: AOK/ed. from July 25, 2026 at 9:02 am