How much smartphone use is healthy?

Smartphones and social media are part of everyday life for children and teenagers. At the same time, concerns are growing: sleep, concentration, self-image, social pressure—digital media have long since had an impact not only “online,” but also directly on health, school, and family life.

In the first live episode of Digital Health Talks, host Rasmus Cloes speaks with Prof. Dr. Louisa Kulke and Tobias Windbrake from “Smarter Start—First Childhood, Then a Smartphone” about what a healthier approach to digital media might look like.

Do we need cell phone bans in schools, age restrictions for social media, greater accountability from platforms, or—above all—better media literacy?

The current discussion shows that this isn’t about simple answers ranging from “ban everything” to “just let it run its course.” It’s about protection and freedom, rules and trust, and designing digital spaces in a way that empowers children and teens rather than overwhelming them.

This episode is a live recording from the series “Digital Health Talks – The Live Podcast on the Health of the Future,” funded as part of the Year of Science 2026 – Medicine of the Future by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. Organized by the University of Bremen in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS.

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