Media Addiction: We Are “Giants in Knowledge and Dwarfs in Action”

Prevention expert Florian Buschmann believes that when it comes to media addiction among children, the responsibility lies primarily with parents and society as a whole. “We’re always talking about the problems of children and adolescents. That’s a bit twisted and makes them the scapegoat. Yet it’s often parents who exhibit problematic behavior when it comes to media use,” Buschmann told the German Press Agency.

The expert’s advice: Families should work together to reduce excessive media use. In his experience, if restrictions are placed only on the children, they tend to resist them.

16 hours a day playing on the computer

Buschmann knows what he’s talking about. “As a teenager, I used to play on the computer for up to 16 hours a day. I completely withdrew into this virtual world; at times, I didn’t even go to school anymore,” the 25-year-old admitted. “At some point, I realized for myself: I’m no longer myself; I’m being controlled by something else. I have to make a change.”

“Didn’t notice much” about video game addiction

The video game addiction began gradually when he was 14, Buschmann reported. His parents didn’t notice much of it. “I talked to them about it later. They didn’t know it was that bad. You hide your behavior. I didn’t let on either.” By the time he was about 16, he had managed to overcome the addiction. That was also what motivated him to reach out to others facing the same issue. “Where’s the best place to do that? At school.”

“Offline Heroes” Initiative

While studying psychology, Buschmann gained the professional expertise needed for his mission. Since then, through his “Offline Heroes” initiative, he has been working extensively in schools to help children and teens develop healthy media habits. At Lessing Elementary School in Neukirch, eastern Saxony, he developed a concept for media use together with his colleague Anne-Sophie Reißig, school social worker Maria Kirschner, as well as teachers, parents, and children. The Techniker Krankenkasse health insurance provider funded the project.

Workshop at elementary school shows initial results

“I hadn’t expected us to achieve such a strong effect. There were children who came up to me after the workshop and said, ‘I only play every other day now, or I turn it off on my own after 30 minutes,’" Buschmann emphasized. A ban on cell phones in schools is only one side of the coin. “The problems don’t actually take place inside the school, but outside. That’s why we need to equip students, teachers, and parents equally.”

Solid knowledge, lack of implementation

According to Buschmann, despite many efforts, the issue of media addiction is still underestimated. Yet there isn’t really a problem with understanding the issue. “We already know a great deal about it. In my view, we’re giants in knowledge but dwarfs in action.” The key is to finally put that knowledge into practice. In Neukirch, this has been successfully achieved.