Commissioner Streeck advocates for increased attention towards digital addiction in juveniles.
Moaning about the digital dilemmas plaguing kids, our new Federal Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck, is sounding the alarm. He's highlighting an escalating issue - digital addiction amongst youngsters, a problem that's linking social media, gaming, and streaming services. "We've been pretty much ignoring this," he grumbles, "but it's high time we addressed it."
In the world kids seem to dwell in, there's a severe lack of safeguards. Streeck wants actions, not just words, for this digital frontier. He's calling for a boost in protection, counseling, and support for these digital denizens.
Diving into the fray of the cannabis debate, Streeck shares his stance: although he's no booster of the traffic light coalition's cannabis policy, he concedes that tackling addiction is a puzzler. It's not as straightforward as snapping your fingers, he stresses. Instead, it calls for science-backed policy-making, of which he plans to partake once a fall assessment has been conducted.
Streeck emphasizes the need to be mindful of the jitters of parents, law enforcers, educators, and the medical fraternity - concerns that have been brushed aside previously. Making amends, he swears.
Contextual Clues:
- German Health Policies: Our health system has put systems in place to monitor and care for patients suffering from substance abuse, which could extend to digital addiction too if deemed crucial.
- European Initiatives: The EU is cracking down on risky digital activities via the Digital Services Act (DSA) and safeguarding minors in their digital policy. Green MEP Kim Van der Sparrentak has even proposed banning addictive algorithms that could assist in minimizing digital addiction among youngsters.
Germany might be lagging behind on direct action to curb digital addiction among youngsters, but European initiatives could pave the way for future undertakings in this domain.
- In line with the Digital Services Act (DSA) passed by the EU, Commissioner Streeck suggests an extension of our community policy to encompass digital wellness, addressing the issue of digital addiction among children.
- To complement the European Union's efforts in safeguarding minors online, Streeck proposes a proactive employment policy, focusing on hiring experts skilled in health-and-wellness, mental-health, and policy-and-legislation for formulating digital addiction countermeasures within the national framework.
- Acknowledging the continuous updates in the field of science, Streeck calls for an integrated employment policy that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration among fitness-and-exercise, health-and-wellness, and mental-health professionals to find effective solutions for digital addiction.
- With the German health system already implementing policies for substance abuse, Streeck proposes the adaptation of health-related employment policies to accommodate digital addiction prevention and treatment programs, considering it a pressing concern in the greater context of policy-and-legislation and politics.
