Federal Family Minister Karin Prien of the CDU stated that parents must be held more accountable regarding the screen time their children use. She told the “Welt am Sonntag” that it should fundamentally be the societal standard for children under the age of three to avoid contact with digital devices entirely.
To facilitate this, Prien suggested that the state might need to consider legal regulations. She pointed out that parents already have other duties outlined in the Civil Code, such as ensuring non-violent upbringing, and argued that parenting should be similarly regulated. While cautioning that the government should not interfere in children’s personal spaces, the Minister stressed the necessity of clearly communicating to parents the severe consequences their behavior has on their children’s development. She noted, “We are seeing dramatic consequences-and these are not just due to children being on screens constantly, but also because of the parents’ actions”.
Furthermore, concerning the quality of childcare, the Minister plans to implement legislation requiring that all children undergo evaluations of their language and developmental status around their fourth birthday. According to Prien, developmental delays are increasing-not only in language skills but also in socio-emotional areas, with self-regulation being a significant concern. She added that specialized support for children with particular needs should be specifically targeted, especially in the year prior to school entry, calling this “a real game-changer for the education system”. However, she clarified that the decision regarding a mandatory kindergarten attendance must ultimately be left to the respective states (Länder).
Looking at the poor results from the IQB Education Trend studies, Prien shared that she is currently working with the various states to determine how to reverse this trend. A key focus must be placed on foundational skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. “In addition, we want to regularly collect data on the level of achievement” Prien said. She made it clear that failing to address these issues was unacceptable; “We cannot afford that about a quarter of children in Germany leave primary school unable to read properly. That simply is not acceptable”.
