Leibniz Institute for Media Research - Hans Bredow Institute

Illustration auf dunkelblauem Grund: Hände, die ien Smartphone halten, ein TV-Gerät, ein Mensch, der Zeitung liest

News Consumption through Social Media Is Increasing

News consumption via social media is increasing: 36 percent of German internet users now access news through various social media platforms. AI chatbots continue to play only a minor role in news consumption as a source of news, with five percent of respondents reporting that they use them. These are findings from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026, for which the Leibniz Institute for Media Research in Hamburg is responsible for the German sub-study.
Participants in the ARD dialogue initiative “What Unites Germany”

How Conversations with People Who Think Differently Can Bring About Change

With a supportive framework and a few basic rules, people from different backgrounds can engage in dialogue and constructive debate. The ARD dialogue series "What Unites Germany" has achieved this, as shown by accompanying research conducted by the HBI. Initial findings reveal how these discussions influence participants' attitudes.
AI-generated symbolic image: Road with many obstacles

Why Banning Social Media Is Not the Solution

In Australia, children under the age of 16 will no longer be allowed to create social media profiles as of December 2025. More and more European countries are also planning to introduce age limits for social media. Dr. Stephan Dreyer, an expert on legal issues at the intersection of youth protection and data protection, argues that a ban would actually weaken youth protection and be disproportionate.
A young family with two small children poses in front of a ring light and a cell phone

Babies and Toddlers as Family Influencers

The HBI is conducting a qualitative and quantitative study to examine how babies and young children under the age of five are portrayed on commercial German-language 'family influencing' profiles on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A team led by Dr. Claudia Lampert and Dr. Stephan Dreyer is discussing the findings in relation to the existing legal framework and media ethics considerations.
The fingertips of a natural and a robotic hand touch each other

New DFG Research Unit on the Automation of Social Communication

The HBI, the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen and other research institutions in Graz and Vienna have successfully acquired a Research Unit from the German Research Foundation (DFG) on the topic of “Communicative Artificial Intelligence (ComAI)”.
Fassade des Gebäudes (Ausschnitt mit Hausnummer)

We Are Now Located at Warburgstraße 30 B!

The highlight of our anniversary year celebrating the institute's 75th birthday was our move into a new building on Warburgstraße in Hamburg! On December 1, 2025, we moved into an extensively renovated building close to the Alster that is perfectly adapted to our research and event needs.
Illustration: ein Jugendlicher im Handy-Bildschirm und T-Shirt mit Aufdruck "Algorithmus" legt seinen Arm um einen Jugendlichen vor dem Bildschirm

How Young People Use the TikTok Algorithm

Young people often use TikTok as a news source, but are not always aware that they may be exposed to various forms of manipulation through the TikTok algorithm. A new qualitative #UseTheNews study by the HBI shows how teenagers and young adults use the platform and interact with the algorithm.

News

Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute

Kira Thiel (rechts) im Gespräch mit KiKa-Moderator Tim (links)
Meldung Interview on KIKA

WhatsApp Under Review for Children and Teens

On the KiKA show Team Timster, Kira Thiel answers children's and teens' questions about WhatsApp. She explains why there is a minimum age requirement for WhatsApp and how to deal with stressful messages.

Stethoskop auf einem Smartphone
Meldung Apotheken Umschau Podcast

Medfluencers, Credibility, and Squandered Trust

How reliable is health information from medfluencers on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube? Claudia Lampert discusses this topic on the Apotheken Umschau podcast, which translates to "A Dose of Knowledge." The discussion stems from an experiment conducted by YouTuber Marvin Wildhage, in which a medfluencer picked up on a made-up disease—despite it being an obvious hoax.

Cover des Arbeitspapiers Nr. 84
Publikation Brief Report in English

Babies and Toddlers in Monetised Social Media Profiles

Stephan Dreyer, Claudia Lampert, and Kira Thiel published an English summary of their study on babies and toddlers in family-influencing content. They present their findings on how babies and toddlers (ages 0–5) are depicted in German-language, commercially oriented social media profiles on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Portrait Stephan Dreyer
Meldung Statement for the SMC

EU Extends Voluntary Chat Control

The European Parliament voted to allow online platforms to continue automatically scanning unencrypted private messages for child abuse under an expedited procedure. In his statement to the Science Media Center Germany, Stephan Dreyer explains why he considers the Parliament's expedited process to be legally controversial and why controlling chat messages constitutes a significant infringement of privacy rights.

türkises Puzzlespiel mit einem fehlenden Teil
Meldung Apply by August 30!

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) Communication Science

We invite applications for the position of a Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in Communication Studies to start on October 1st or later. The position is located in the research group Media Use and Societal Effects (MUSE). This research group investigates how people use digital news and other information-related content, how these practices are changing, and what the consequences of these changes are.

Julia Behre vor einem Bücherregal in der Bibliothek des HBI.
Meldung Julia Behre on NDR

Why More and More People Are Avoiding the News

Why are more and more people avoiding the news, despite being generally interested in world events? The NDR Info report from July 19, 2026, explores this question. Julia Behre provides a scholarly analysis of news avoidance. The report was part of the NDR television program DAS! Rote Sofa."

Cover der Zeitschrift KIR
Publikation Published on Beck-online

Freedom of Expression in the Age of AI

In their article in a journal on artificial intelligence and law, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz and Moritz Wiechert analyze the first German case law on automatically generated content. In doing so, they highlight the fundamental challenges facing traditional freedom of expression law in the age of AI.

Junge Familie posierend vor einem Ringlicht.
Meldung Interview on WDR5

Family Influencers: Is This Real Life?

The WDR5 program on "Curiosity Is Enough" explores family influencers, examining the insight they provide into their daily lives and how they portray their children. Stephan Dreyer offers a media law perspective on the topic. He discusses the results of the HBI study, "Portrayal of Babies and Toddlers in Monetized Social Media Profiles," published in spring 2026.

Cover of the publication
Publikation Recently Published!

Avoiding the News But Still Feeling Connected?

How are different forms of news avoidance related to various types of individual public connection? The article by Julia Behre, Lisa Merten, and Uwe Hasebrink suggests that avoiding the news does not necessarily mean turning away from public life.

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Event dates

#LeibnizMediaLecture

Veranstaltung

RIDLOP: A Research Infrastructure for Data from Large Online Platforms

3. September 2026

Dr. Simon Kruschinski of GESIS—the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences—will present RIDLOP, a research infrastructure that securely makes data from large online platforms available for social science research, starting at 12:00 p.m. The Hamburg Section of the Research Institute Social Cohesion (RISC) is hosting this Leibniz Media Lecture.

Verantstaltungsort Hamburg

Veranstaltung Promoting Young Researchers

Digitalisation Research Seminar 2026

21. September 2026

This year's Digitalisation Research Seminar on 21-22 September in Berlin is dedicated to “Balancing Digital Safety between Risks, Rights, and Regulation”. The HBI, WI, BI and CAIS are organizing the event.

Verantstaltungsort Berlin
Veranstaltung Bredows on Tour

43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association

1. October 2026

At the 43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association (GSA), Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen, Antonia Eichenauer, and Jonah Wermter will present two papers on the topic of communicative AI in journalism.

Verantstaltungsort Mainz
All event dates

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