News
News, Publications, Projects, Blog Articles & Podcast Episodes from the Institute
Protecting Children and Young People in an Increasingly Digitalized World
In the latest issue of KJug, Claudia Lampert presents the EU Kids Online research consortium's findings on how children and adolescents view a potential social media ban. Kira Thiel shares insights from her dissertation, which examines how adolescents cope with problematic online experiences and the strategies they use to manage them.
A Portrait of Harry Hermann Spitz
Who was Harry Hermann Spitz? The short answer: From 1947 to 1957, he was the music director of Northwest German Broadcasting (NWDR), or North German Broadcasting (NDR). Hans-Ulrich Wagner provides the longer answer in his article for the New German Biography portal.
International Exchange: Visitors from Eight African Countries
As part of an informational tour organized by the Goethe-Institut, African media professionals met with Jan-Hinrik Schmidt at the HBI to discuss the German media system and current trends in media consumption.
Could the European Platform W Social Be an Alternative to X?
W Social is emerging as a European alternative to well-established social media platforms like X, offering greater data protection and less hate and disinformation. However, for such platforms to truly be an alternative, there needs to be "societal momentum," Jan Rau says in an interview.
How Elon Musk Is Meddling in German Politics
In the daily newspaper The Guardian, Jan Rau explains how the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party benefits from Elon Musk and why its influence is nevertheless limited. He studies the dynamics of media attention at the HBI's Research Institute Social Cohesion.
EU KIDS Act – Proposed Social Media Regulation
In his statement for the Science Media Center, Stephan Dreyer explains that with the EU KIDS Act, the European Commission is proposing "nothing less than a comprehensive EU regulatory framework for the protection of minors in the digital space." The draft regulation aims to enforce new requirements for digital services to better protect children and adolescents.
Should AI Development Be Slowed Down?
In his statement for the Science Media Center, Matthias Kettemann explains that the proposal by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a controlled slowdown in current AI development should be taken more seriously than previous calls for a “pause.” Unlike those previous calls, Amodei's proposal is not vague.
How the AfD Is Using TikTok for Its Election Campaign
On 6 September, Saxony-Anhalt held elections for a new state parliament. Dr. Azade Kakavand examined the parties’ presence on TikTok in the run-up to the election and explains on the programme Das Medienmagazin (radioeins, rbb) how the AfD was able to achieve significant reach on TikTok.
Expert Commission Presents Final Report
The expert commission on "Protecting Children and Youth in the Digital World" submitted its final report to Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien. The report contains the commission's findings from the past year, including an assessment of the current situation, recommendations for action, and the results of the child and youth participation process and the strategic foresight process. The commission incorporated Claudia Lampert’s expertise into its work.