Dopamine is the keyword when it comes to Instagram, influencers, and the question of why young people spend hours staring at their cell phones and watching stories. YouTube and Snapchat also work on the principle of firing the messenger of happiness in the brain. When Daniel Hoschke from Frankfurt (Oder) asked children and young people in the workshops how much time they spend in front of a screen per day, many 13-14-year-olds answered that it takes five to six hours. “That’s quite a number,” said a media specialist from the Center for Youth Information and Media (JIM) in a multigenerational home of Mikado.
During the pandemic and a time of low contact, this has increased. “People are not created to be alone, they need social connections,” Hochki says. Then the young people searched for role models and idols – the equivalent of what athletes, musicians, bands or actors had – on the Internet. In addition to being a role model, an influencer can also be such as a friend, older brother, or surrogate parent.
Influencers only show the supposedly beautiful things in life
However, the sticking point is that influencers always do what brings them more clicks and awareness – and therefore more money. When they advertise products, young people often want to have them. “If you follow an influencer long enough, you’ll feel like you know it,” says Daniel Huschke. “And if my friend owns the sneakers in a limited edition, I might as well want to have them.”
Share and win – Family Compass 2022
■ What is this? Family Compass is a statewide survey of child and family friendship in Brandenburg. It is a joint project of Märkischer Oderzeitung, Lausitzer Rundschau and Märkischer Allgemeine in collaboration with Evangelische Hochschule Dresden.
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What can parents do when kids spend hours on Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube?
How much is permissible always depends on the developmental level of children. And don’t just say ban, he says. Alternatively, watching videos and stories with the children or, if necessary, following up on your own – if they stop themselves – are options. “Kids generally think it’s cool when their parents are also interested in what they’re doing” – but at 16 or 17 that might not be the case, he says.
“Everything is just an opinion – my opinion,” says the media specialist from Frankfurt (Oder).
“The algorithm in digital life also ensures that all I get is only one opinion – my opinion. Daniel Hochke points out, and I always get that. The so-called bubble effect is also technically known as an echo chamber: what I scream comes back.”
The plus side: Influencers can also encourage children and young people to play sports
However, Daniel Huschke also sees positive aspects in this topic. If a sports influencer does a little exercise every day and young people are encouraged to do the same, that might be fine. Or when someone presents a book that you want to buy yourself. Computer games in which you have to solve problems can also be complex. In the end, it always comes down to the mix. After all, even an hour-long evening of board games – in itself also good for adults who have to lay off their cell phones for two or three hours – is one-sided at some point.