Parent study: Corona has changed children's skills and leisure activities

14.11.2023 14:32

Compared to before or during the pandemic, children have become more active - meeting friends more often, reading, painting - but also consuming significantly more media. For example, when it comes to regular activities for 10 to 13 year olds, watching TV is the top priority (83 percent), closely followed by gaming and meeting friends (80 percent each). But according to parents' assessment, younger children are less fit in social skills due to the Corona crisis, while older children are less fit in school knowledge and in general, for example when learning to swim. These are the results of the representative study “Young Families 2023” by Pronova BKK, for which 1,000 households with children were surveyed.

Due to homeschooling and contact restrictions, children's digital media consumption seemed to have peaked during the Corona years. But after the pandemic ended, it continued to rise. For example, according to parents, 53 percent of 10 to 13 year olds regularly used digital games during the pandemic; today the figure is 80 percent. Among 14 to 17 year olds, the proportion of digital gamers rose from 69 to 76 percent. Among 6 to 9 year olds, 69 percent play, compared to 47 percent during the pandemic. Another example: During Corona, 59 percent of 6 to 9 year olds often watched television, now it is 79 percent. Television consumption among 10 to 13 year olds rose from 62 to 83 percent. The increase among older people was similarly strong.

“If parents don’t set limits, children will use digital media excessively. Everything on the cell phone or television screen is fun and you can't yet reflect on the consequences," says Clemens Beisel, qualified social worker and cooperation partner of Pronova BKK. “Many parents give their children too much freedom when it comes to media and give them too much responsibility. Setting limits on media usage is important so that you still have time for other things. This is part of family life and the parents have to be able to endure discussions about the rules.”

For example, children in Germany are not particularly familiar with practical skills. Only 59 percent of teenagers (14 to 17 years old) are confident in household tasks, and only 22 percent are very good at cooking or cleaning.

Since Corona, children have been more active

However, the parents' study information does not only reveal high levels of media consumption. Overall, children of all ages are doing more leisure activities than before and during the pandemic. This usually also applies to sports and creative activities. For example, 70 percent of 6 to 9 year olds paint, draw and do handicrafts today, while during Corona it was 58 percent and before that 45 percent. 58 percent of 10 to 13 year olds are currently doing individual sports, while during Corona 42 percent went running or cycling and before that 33 percent. Among 14 to 17 year olds, this individual sport without a club increased from 42 to 58 percent, ballet or athletics in a club from 26 to 31 percent. In all age groups, personal meetings with friends have increased significantly compared to the period before the pandemic.

“After the pandemic, there was a lot of catching up to do to meet friends or pursue hobbies outside of the home. These activities have increased. But the higher media consumption learned during Corona has remained high or even increased,” explains media educator Beisel. “The range in families is wide. Some children sit on their tablet all day and don't learn to do anything without media. Especially when there is a lot of media time, parents should provide other impulses. For most children who spend little time on smartphones etc., it is natural to go to the sports club, go on a bike ride or write birthday cards.”

Deficits in swimming and cycling

Experts recommend that children learn to swim from the age of five. But 29 percent of 6 to 9 year olds cannot (yet) swim; only 28 percent of this age are confident swimmers. Even in the 10 to 17 age group, only 45 percent can swim safely. 45 percent of 6 to 9 year olds know how to ride a bike very well, and just over half of older ones do. 76 percent of parents of 6- to 9-year-olds believe their children could swim better without a pandemic. Social skills would be better among 3- to 5-year-olds and 6- to 9-year-olds without a pandemic, say 78 percent of parents. School knowledge has suffered among older people: 79 percent of parents of 10-13 year olds say that things would be better here without Corona. According to the study, as we get older, body control is lost: 81 percent of 10 to 13 year olds can roll or balance, but only 72 percent of 14 to 17 year olds can.

You can find more information about the “Young Families 2023” study here:
www.pronovabkk.de/familienstudie-2023

About the study

These are the results of the representative study “Young Families 2023” by Pronova BKK, for which a total of 1,000 people in Germany with at least one underage child in the household were surveyed in July 2023.