Teenagers are too much on the computer

Teenagers spend several hours a day online

09/04/2014

The computer takes in the lives of many adolescents in the opinion of the parents a too high priority. „Half of the teenagers in Germany are too much online according to their parents“, This is the result of a recent representative survey by the opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). In addition, according to the announcement of the TK almost „Every eighth parent indicates that the child is already showing signs of online dependence.“

On behalf of TK, the opinion research institute Forsa surveyed 1,000 parents of 12- to 17-year-old children and adolescents in July 2014 on the health and media use of adolescents. The result clarifies the importance of the use of smartphones, tablets and PCs in the daily lives of young people. At the same time, however, it shows which health risks can go along with it. According to the parents, around half of the adolescents spend too much time online, showing signs of online dependence. Particularly affected are the 14- and 15-year-olds, „Here every sixth teenager shows addiction-like behavior“, so the message of TK.

Often, parents do not set a limit on online consumption
The representative survey also shows that „Only six out of ten parents agreed with their child on online consumption“ have reported the technicians health insurance. Also give it „in 30 percent of the families, no agreements on which pages the child may be on the net.“ Here, the experts observed that as parents grow older, they lose interest in children's surfing habits. On the other hand, teens would, „whose parents also limit the online access technically“, move more in your free time. The CEO of TK, Dr. Ing. Jens Baas, stressed that the results of the current survey can also help, „initiate a discussion on how children and adolescents come to a healthy use of digital media.“

Media literacy as an aspect of health promotion
„When we talk about health promotion, it is usually about the three major action areas nutrition, exercise and stress management“, Baas explained, adding: „I think that in the digital society we have to broaden this concept to the topic of media literacy.“ Because the survey revealed which health problems could be associated with excessive media consumption. „Not only because lack of exercise is often the flip side of media consumption, but because excessive media use also has an impact on the mental health of adolescents“, is in the opinion of the TK chief here a rethinking required.

Health effects
According to Heiko Schulz, a psychologist at TK, the health consequences of unhealthy media consumption are confirmed by the current study. „Survey data show that children, who according to their parents are far too much online, are also more affected by health problems“, stressed Schulz. So be the example „Proportion of adolescents suffering from stress, concentration and sleep disorders are significantly higher in extreme surfers.“ In addition, the study has shown that on average every seventh adolescent between the ages of 12 and 17 suffers from headaches in Germany, with the extreme surfers being hit more than twice as often with 26 percent, the TK reports. Back pain is also increasingly found in the extreme surfers. „Almost a fifth of them suffer from back pain, with the other teenagers it is only one in ten“, so the message of the health insurance. (Fp)