News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Where Search and AI Converge—and the Media Might Fall Silent
Search engines are becoming answer engines, which is changing the rules of the digital information ecosystem. New models are needed for public debate and regulation. However, both research and legislation are under increasing time pressure due to the rapid development of AI. Wolfgang Schulz drew this conclusion at the close of the 16th Hamburg Media Symposium. The TIDE recording is now available online.
What Can and Is AI Allowed to Do?
Can AI produce positive results in journalism? When does its use threaten journalistic credibility? Antonia Eichenauer addresses these questions in the project "Journalism: The Automation of News and Journalistic Autonomy." In an interview with radio3 (rbb), she discusses the opportunities, risks, and seemingly limitless possibilities of this technology.
Event dates
#LeibnizMediaLecture
RIDLOP: A Research Infrastructure for Data from Large Online Platforms
3. September 2026Dr. 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.
43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association
1. October 2026At 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.