Growing Up in the Digital Age: What Keeps Children Healthy
Children are growing up in a digital world that opens up opportunities while also raising new questions. We’ll start by discussing preventive health screenings and electronic health records: What information is collected about children, how can it be used for healthcare and research—and how can we protect the privacy of children and adolescents in the process?
Social media and digital spaces are also part of everyday life for many young people. Christoph and Rasmus discuss how platforms capture attention, why children need help making sense of content, and what role parents, schools, and media education play in this. It’s not just about bans: they also discuss how digital offerings can be designed to be healthier and how good in-person meeting places and recreational opportunities can be strengthened.
Digitalization can also facilitate communication and support—for example, for families caring for children with high care needs, or through digital learning resources. What matters most is what digital tools are used for and how they are used. Health information and AI can also be helpful if users apply them competently and critically.
This episode shows that digitalization is neither solely a risk nor a pure solution for children’s health. What matters most is competent use, secure digital offerings, and good in-person alternatives. In your view, what is needed for children to grow up healthy—both digitally and offline?
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The Digital Public Health Podcast is a production of the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS) and Health Sciences Bremen.