Project description

Funded by the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM), this project is the first to investigate how infants and children in Bavaria perceive and use the various forms and content of social networking sites (known as social media).

The project focuses on the following research questions, among others:

• How do children integrate social media into their everyday lives, and how are social media and its content involved in coping with developmental tasks (e.g. physical, cognitive, emotional and social) in a deeply digital society?
• How does social media, as an everyday companion, change communication, interaction and relationship building among friends and family?
• How do parents accompany the use of social media and what challenges do they face in doing so?

A comprehensive multi-method design is used to address the project's focus: It begins with a bavaria-wide survey that provides an inventory of exemplary usage situations and forms the basis for the qualitative study elements built upon it: Family interviews with parents and children examine the significance of social media in everyday family life. The importance of social media in children's everyday school life is discussed in group discussions with primary school pupils. An accompanying media ethnographic study explores the real contexts in which children use social media.

The results are planned to be made available to the interested public in spring 2026 as part of a BLM event and publication.

Families and schools that would like to participate in the study are welcome to contact Moritz Schweiger (moritz.schweiger@uni-a.de ).

Duration:

July to December 2025

Recent publications:

work in progress