Digital dangers: Brain researchers warn of manual addiction to young people!

Digital dangers: Brain researchers warn of manual addiction to young people!

Stralsund, Deutschland - In recent years, media consumption has changed significantly among young people. According to a current Postbank study, young people between the ages of 16 and 18 have now spent about ten hours a day on the Internet-an increase of an hour and a half compared to 2023. This gives rise to concern, especially with regard to the statement by brain researcher Prof. Manfred Spitzer, who in a lecture in Stralsund addressed the negative effects of digital media on education. The key statement? Excessive media consumption could lead to "digital dementia", says Spitzer, who refers to a study by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, which shows that digital media do not lead to better learning in class. NDR reports .

In the course of his warnings, Spitzer also emphasizes that for example, every fourth young person has signs of cell phone addiction. The health consequences are alarming: from posture damage to myopia to high blood pressure, which can result from the intensive use of cell phones and tablets. A study from Wuhan, China, which shows that the eyeball of children grew faster during the Lockdown, grew particularly worrying. In view of the development, the Ministry of Education in Hesse has announced that it would be a ban on cell phones in schools from August 2025, which was expressly welcomed by Spitzer.

parents in concern

parents are increasingly concerned about the media use of their children. A DAK study, supported by the University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, shows that millions of children and adolescents in Germany have problems with their media consumption. Over a quarter of the 10 to 17 year olds use social media to a problematic extent, while about 5% are considered to be dependent. This shows that the risks of digital consumption are still high, even if indications of a slight return in gaming and social media addiction problems in 2024 can be recorded.

The parents' uncertainty is reflected in the recommendations that experts pronounced for children with regard to the screen time. The media guideline of the DGKJ recommends a drastic limitation of the media time: Children under the age of 3 should not have a screen time, while it should be a maximum of 30 minutes a day for children aged 3 to 6. With 6 to 9 year olds, you do not recommend more than 45 minutes. Strong support for these measures comes from the WHO, which demands more investments in digital education and stricter regulations of social media platforms. Deutschlandfunk reports .

a new perspective?

These results indicate that dealing with digital technologies is a cognitive challenge and may promote mental fitness of older people. However, one question remains open to all of these discussions: How can we ensure that the next generation learns a responsible handling of this technology? An urgent appeal to parents and educational institutions.