Handynutzung: Warum diskutieren wir neue Social-Media-Wege nur für Kinder?

In a remote German village, amidst ancient thatched-roof cottages, the story unfolds. Upon entering this traditional dwelling, the archaic wooden beams vanish from the screen, an initial sense of confinement replaced by a liberating freedom after 24 hours. Despite the persistent thumb tap on the smartphone, this unhurried locale serves as an ideal starting point for a whirlwind journey whose destination remains unclear.

"When we discuss social media and AI, it feels like we're conversing about the largest experiment ever conducted on humanity," declares Julia Brailovskaia, a leading German expert on social media bans and a professor at the German Center for Mental Health and the Ruhr University Bochum's research and treatment center for mental health.

Brailovskaia's voice rings out, especially concerning children and young people. Recently, a court in New Mexico ruled that Meta, the American tech giant, must deposit over half a billion dollars into a fund, acknowledging its misuse of the health of the youth. Consequently, discussions across the globe, from Germany to Malaysia, revolve around an age limit for social media use.

But what exactly should be done, and how and why should social media be restricted? Is prohibition even sufficient? Perhaps we should begin at a different point entirely? "Take a child's smartphone away, and you'll understand just how emotionally attached they are to the device," asserts Malek Bajbouj, director of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic at Berlin's Charité.

Even adults react similarly when their smartphones are confiscated. The Economics of Attention "The real issue lies in the deluge of information," adds Ralph Hertwig, director of the Max Planck Institute for Educational Research. A specialist in decision-making, one of the most respected in the field, Hertwig expresses deep concern that after losing concentration and focus in the age of artificial intelligence, we are now also learning to unlearn how to differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad.

Decision-making is exhausting. Democracy and discourse are exhausting. Hertwig explains, "We must, of course, extend all considerations on regulation to adults, as they are equally susceptible to addictive mechanisms as youth, even if individuals try to steer themselves in a different direction." The focus is on the so-called economy of attention, a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate Herbert Simon, with the now-legendary phrase: "An abundance of information inevitably leads to a paucity of attention."

In the vast digital landscape, where data grew exponentially from approximately two zettabytes in 2010 to 173.4 zettabytes in 2024, it's hard to grasp the sheer magnitude of zeroes. Generative AI has accelerated this exponential growth. This unmanageable information influx poses a significant challenge. More than anything, social media platforms like Meta compete for our most precious resource: the ability to focus.

Endless scrolling, push notifications, gamification, all are sophisticated mechanisms designed to capture our attention, ensnaring us with ease. "We must actively reclaim our attention," says Hertwig. The sobering numbers illustrate the consequences of inaction. While exact costs of excessive social media usage are hard to quantify, researchers urge for more independent research.

Even in the context of AI, the evidence is scant. However, by linking mental health issues to modifiable lifestyle factors like loneliness, sleep deprivation, and lack of exercise, the impact becomes tangible. Mental health disorders, according to the German government, already account for the longest work absences, averaging 39 days per case.

Now, mental health disorders already represent nearly five percent of the Gross Domestic Product, with experts Axel Plünnecke from the German Institute of Economic Research calculating that this figure alone could soon exceed five percent. Plünnecke points out that mental illness, along with social fragmentation and psychological stress, leads to decreased political trust and reduced societal participation.

Social media exacerbates the situation, potentially increasing polarization and reinforcing existing echo chambers. Brailovskaia confirms that excessive excessive use of social media indeed leads to detrimental consequences.