Austrian Education Minister launches initiative to manage children's screen time

Austrian Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr has launched an initiative to support parents in managing their children's screen time. Following a roundtable discussion with experts in education, health, and youth services, the Ministry of Education plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and the State Secretariat for Digitalization to launch an awareness campaign.

Pediatrician Klaus Vavrik noted that children and adolescents currently spend approximately four and a half hours online per weekday. He warned that social media platforms are often designed to be addictive, potentially leading to a loss of quality of life and negative developmental impacts, including decreased impulse control, reduced concentration, and language development disorders.

The proposed guidance suggests that children aged zero to three should have no screen time, while children up to age nine should use screens only briefly and under adult supervision. For children aged 12 and older, a limit of two hours per day is recommended. The initiative also aims to continue the 'handyexperiment'—a three-week mobile phone abstinence trial for students—and will work alongside the 'Safer Internet' initiative to provide resources to schools.