Between digital overload and self-determination

media education for schoolchildren as the foundation of democratic media literacy

Abstract

Digital media shape children’s lifeworlds in profound ways already in the early years of schooling. Alongside new opportunities for participation and learning, phenomena of digital overstimulation, reduced self-regulation, and problematic patterns of media use are increasingly evident. This article argues that such developments should not primarily be understood as individual misconduct or pathological deviation, but rather as expressions of structural tensions between children’s developmental psychological prerequisites and the media-economic logics of digital environments.

From a media-pedagogical perspective, the article demonstrates that early prevention constitutes a key prerequisite for enabling children to engage with digital media in a self-determined, reflective, and socially responsible manner. Prevention is not conceived as a restriction of digital participation, but as an educational form of guidance that strengthens self-regulation, reflective capacity, and relational competence. Drawing on developmental psychology, media pedagogy, and addiction-related research, as well as on a school-based practice example, the article illustrates how reflexive media practice can be implemented within familial and school contexts.

The article conceptualizes media-pedagogical prevention in primary education as a foundation of democratic media education. Self-determination, participation, and solidarity are presented as interconnected educational goals that enable children not merely to use digital media, but to relate to them in meaningful ways. In doing so, the article offers a theoretically grounded and practice-oriented contribution to current debates on media education, prevention, and democratic education in the digital age.