Press release No. N 011 of 8 February 2021
- In the 1st quarter of 2020, 82% of children and young people made phone calls over the internet - Usage increased by 10 percentage points in the course of two years
- 89% of children and young people used messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram and the like
- More than one third (39%) of the 10 to 15-year-olds were not concerned about their online activities being recorded for advertising purposes
WIESBADEN – For children and young people, access to digital media is a way of participating in social life, not only since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The internet is part of the daily lives of most children and young people. To mark the Safer Internet Day on 9 February 2021, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that roughly 89% of the 10 to 15-year-olds used messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and the like in the 1st quarter of 2020. Nearly two thirds (61%) were active on social networks and almost half (43%) shared self-created content on websites. As in real life, children and young people have to be protected from problematic content and even from abuse. This EU-wide day of action is to raise the awareness of such issues and help to make the internet a safer place.
