"Screen-free - be part of it!" - The win-win implementation in outpatient care
The venue for the first consortium meeting, the " Screen-free - Be there!" study, is Witten/Herdecke University with its Chairs of Medical Theory, Integrative and Anthroposophic Medicine. In addition to the relevant UW/H members of the Faculty of Health (including external invitees from the LST), important national consortium members will also be present at our university:
- The Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendärzt*innen e.V. (BVKJ-Service GmbH),
- Company health insurance funds (BKK),
- Institute for Community Medicine Greifswald
Project management
The Germany-wide study funded by the Innovation Committee of the Federal Joint Committee started in November 2025. The study consortium under the consortium leadership of Dr. Silke Schwarz and Prof. David Martin from the Gerhard Kienle Chair at Witten/Herdecke University is made up of BVKJ-Service GmbH, BKK Landesverband Bayern and the Institute of Community Medicine at Greifswald University Hospital.
How were practices acquired for participation?
From December 2025, pediatric practices throughout Germany were included with the PraxisApp and the STARKE KIDS by BKK selective contract via the PraxisApp administration. This allowed 1153 pediatric practices to be randomized into the intervention or control group. Doctors from the intervention group were motivated to participate in the CME-certified online training with a video clip.
Research objective
The selective contract-based intervention study aims to enable parents to keep their children's screen time at a healthy level. At the same time, the study aims to uncover early, unregulated screen time, teach responsible and guideline-compliant media use and provide everyday alternatives and support services.
Process
It starts with the U7a screening of 3-year-olds, where a signal sticker is stuck into the yellow screening booklet (U-Heft) to reinforce the medical consultation. The signal sticker conveys the following three recommendations of the AMWF guideline, which were explained during the consultation: "Prevention of dysregulated screen media use in childhood and adolescence":
- Allow no more than 30 minutes of screen time per day;
- ensure screen-free days in between and
- not to leave children alone in front of the screen.
In addition, pediatricians advise parents whose children had conspicuous screen time during the pre-interventional survey in a specific intensive media coaching session. The pediatric practices in the control group provide standard care.
Survey/evaluation
The survey is currently starting via the PraxisApp for parents in the intervention and control group with the questionnaire on screen time, activities and walkability in the family, the child's development and the parents' internet use.
The interim surveys on the child's screen time take place three, six and nine months after the U7a survey. Before the U8, the parents also receive the post-intervention questionnaire on the above-mentioned parameters. In addition to the effect evaluation, a mixed-methods process evaluation and a health economic evaluation of the routine data of the BKK-insured children will also be carried out as part of "Sei dabei!".
Further information on the study can be found online.
If you have any questions, please contact the project managers Dr. med. Silke Schwarz and Prof. Dr. med. David Martin by e-mail .
Participation is free of charge.