Man addiction among young people: This is how you recognize the problem in good time!

Man addiction among young people: This is how you recognize the problem in good time!

In a future-oriented initiative, the state of Lower Austria recently launched the “Handy-Competent School” project in order to target the challenges and opportunities of the use of smartphone in schools. Education Councilor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP) emphasizes the need to teach students from dealing with cell phones and social media. "It is not about demonizing cell phones, but about learning the correct handling," says the State Councilor. The event served as a platform to bring teachers, parents and students closer to the risks and opportunities of smartphones, such as "https://www.noen.at/niederoesterreich/politik/ankuendigung-handynutzung-handyn-2025-schwerpunktthema-noe-werden-453614711"> Noen.at reported.

The Problem of mobile phone addiction is not only an Austrian phenomenon, but also affects many children and young people in Switzerland. Experts estimate that up to 300,000 affected young people in Switzerland have difficulty dealing with their cell phones or are even addicted. A worrying example is 16-year-old Tim, who spends up to eight hours a day on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. On average, young people use their cell phones three hours a day. The psychiatrist Martin Meier explains that problematic handling of smart devices can quickly lead to an addictive behavior. This dependency is alarming and has an impact on the everyday life of young people, such as ttim.phbern.ch . The need for comprehensive media education becomes more urgent than ever, since responsibility cannot be passed on to technical solutions such as time limits.

responsibility and dialogue in focus

The legal guardians and adults are required to regularly seek dialogue about the use of digital media. Daniel Betschart from Pro Juventute points out that only through conversations about the interests and experiences of young people can create a better understanding of their digital world. It is important to strengthen young people and to help them develop digital self -control in order to enable them to use healthy media