1  Scope and purpose

1.1 Objectives and questions

The aim of this guideline is to provide an overview of the current state of scientific research into dysregulated screen media use in childhood and adolescence, as well as the associated risks and possible ways of dealing with it. Based on this, recommendations from experts are drawn up for the prevention of temporally, content-wise or functionally problematic use of screen media by children and adolescents and their caregivers within pediatric care. These are intended to support the relationship between expert and patient or client and provide concrete recommendations for action for the use and handling of screen media. Interested parents are also given recommendations for the prevention of dysregulated screen media use in the family. This includes:

  1. Ways in which parents can regulate their children’s digital media consumption, on the one hand directly through verbal agreements and rules, and on the other hand through the use of technical child protection at the hardware or software level.

  2. How parents can be indirectly supported by strengthening general parenting skills and suggestions for an active, screen-free everyday life for children, to develop everyday alternatives to the screen as a “babysitter”, “conflict mediator”, “reward/punishment” etc., and

  3. how parental media consumption can be regulated in order to avoid endangering the quality of the relationship and bond between parents and especially their young children.

1.2 Supply area

  • Preventive medicine
  • Outpatient care
  • Primary medical care
  • Specialized medical care, including social pediatric centers (SPZ)

1.3 Patient target group

Children and young people aged 0 to 18 years and their families.

1.4 Addressees

This guideline is aimed at pediatricians, social and adolescent medicine doctors, addiction medicine doctors and parents and is intended to provide information for child and adolescent psychiatrists. It is also intended to provide information to higher-level organizations such as health insurance companies, schools, kindergartens, youth welfare offices, school authorities, pension insurance providers, educational counseling centers, welfare offices and other people and institutions that deal with issues relating to children’s health and child welfare.

1.5 Limits of the guideline

Due to the heterogeneous state of research - taking into account factors such as screen time, child age, media types, etc. - regarding the positive and negative effects of screen media consumption in childhood, recommendations by experts represent a sensible approach to protect children from the possible consequences of dysregulated screen media use. The recommendations of the guideline are based on the consensus of experts representing their respective specialist groups as well as on studies and systematic reviews. It should be noted that technological progress, particularly in connection with screen media, is progressing faster than its effects can be investigated through studies. Therefore, the precautionary principle enshrined in the EU constitution should apply in the future: This legal principle reverses the burden of proof in cases where a new technological development could pose a serious risk to humans and/or the environment. In this case, the manufacturer would have to prove that its devices or applications do not harm children in the long term before the product can be widely marketed to this target group.

1.6 Further documents on this guideline