Child friendliness

Colloquial language and social psychology describe the appreciative and amiable behavior of a person towards their social environment as friendliness . Child-friendliness accordingly describes such behavior towards children. The term family friendliness is often used synonymously, but it also requires friendliness towards parents.

In a broader sense of the word, a physical environment, an institution or a form of a social system can be described as child-friendly , provided that these factors have an impact on the situation and well-being of children and their relatives.

The use of the birth rate as an indicator of child-friendliness by individuals or in society is controversial ( see also prejudices about childless ).

Survey results on child friendliness

Jumping child on a jumping pillow

Between July and September 2004, the Forsa Institute asked parents of children up to 13 years of age about their wishes for the state, the economy and society. This survey was published in a press release from the publisher "Gruner + Jahr" on January 11, 2005. The conclusion of the survey:

"Right at the top of the parents' wish list are a more child-friendly society (77 percent), lower prices for families (92 percent), more financial support from the state (85 percent) and recognition of educational achievement (77 percent)."

The studies that deal with the living situation of children and adolescents include the UNICEF reports on the situation of children at international level , the HBSC health studies of the WHO , the World Vision study of children and the PISA studies of the OECD , in Germany also the child and youth health study KiGGS , the LBS child barometer , the children's panel of the DJI , the child and youth report of the federal government, the Robert Koch survey , the World Vision child study, the Shell youth study , and in Switzerland the Swiss children - and youth study COCON .

Child-friendly behavior of individuals

A person who likes children and shows special friendliness and warm-heartedness in dealing with them is colloquially referred to as fond of children . Child-friendly behavior requires special attention to the wishes and needs of children. These characteristics are also important for the exercise of some professions, especially in the areas of professional childcare and upbringing , where they are now a necessary entry requirement in democratic countries (as far as possible, turning away from the abusive upbringing that is often found in authoritarian systems).

That children should not only expect consideration from others, but conversely should also exercise them towards others, was already emphasized by Freiherr von Knigge , who wrote of himself in his work On Dealing with People that he had not learned this enough at a young age : "... I was a little pampered in my first upbringing and through the great attention that my little person had been appreciated at an early age, I was used to demanding a lot of consideration from other people". An anti-authoritarian or caressing upbringing that sets no limits to children is not necessarily an expression of child-friendliness.

In public space, child-friendliness is evident in everyday interaction with children and, in particular, in the degree of consideration shown to road users in order to ensure the safety of children in road traffic . From a legal point of view, the duty of care required is a minimum of consideration that is prescribed for children in road traffic.

Regulations such as child-friendly house rules , which give children space to play , are important for a child-friendly living environment. In the case of communal property , the prevailing majorities (for example in owners' meetings ) often decide on the specific design of the living situation. In cases in which there is a single landlord, he can prove his child-friendliness by means of an appropriate regulation. Another proof that apartment owners are child-friendly is when they give large families the chance to rent an apartment. If such a commitment contradicts the immediate economic interest, altruism can also play a role.

Animals, in particular pets such as dogs, are also called child- friendly if they are particularly friendly, careful and playful with children, and the term is used to characterize dog breeds that typically show such behavior. In social interaction between dog owners and children, conflicts sometimes arise about the use of public space. Depending on the point of view, the requirements vary between greater protection of designated children's play areas, the setting up and use of dog toilets , the installation of fenced dog areas or designated areas with leash .

Child-friendly society, economy and politics

The degree to which individuals behave in a child-friendly manner in public life shapes the world of children and their parents and, in this sense, is characteristic of a society's child-friendliness. The childhood research examines approaches to the child's perspective, and children are actively expressly considered as actors and (co-) Formative.

A society that is child-friendly is a society in which the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of September 20, 1990 are put into practice, i.e. in which the rights of supply, development rights, property rights and participation rights of children are realized.

A social appreciation of children is not a matter of course. In society, children are often perceived subliminally as a nuisance, and families with low incomes and several children are often viewed in society as " anti-social ".

According to Section 1, Paragraph 1, No. 4 of Book Eight of the Social Code , youth welfare should “help to maintain or create positive living conditions for young people and their families as well as a child and family-friendly environment”.

According to the social consensus, a child-friendly society requires appropriate communication of values . On November 25, 2008 , the Federal Family Forum published the Berlin Declaration on Value-Oriented Education as part of a two-year project .

Child-friendly infrastructure

Child-friendliness is reflected in whether and to what extent the public, but also the private infrastructure meets the needs of children.

According to a broad social consensus, the child and family-friendly infrastructure includes, for example, playgrounds and leisure and sports activities for families. Public and private-sector infrastructure elements partially overlap. In addition to communal kindergartens, there are also church and private kindergartens; In addition to public playgrounds, there are also covered children's play areas run by commercial enterprises; Children's education can be provided by the public sector or by private providers.

For the child-friendliness of day-care centers, the quality of care and education, especially the care key, is decisive.

The public infrastructure includes For example: a continuous network of cycle paths with traffic lights at dangerous crossings; City libraries and book buses with children's and young people's literature; Furnishing details such as seating in schools that take real body size into account; Implementation of new museum didactic findings in museums, etc.
The private sector infrastructure includes B. high chairs and child-friendly portions in restaurants, childcare offers in shops, family tickets from private service providers of all kinds, etc.

Children's charities strive to improve the infrastructure in Germany, but also in other countries (see also UNICEF ).

The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative by UNICEF and the World Health Organization ( WHO) was initiated in 1991 and calls on hospitals around the world to implement a 10-step program to create breastfeeding-friendly conditions in birthplaces. According to the International Code for the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes , in particular hospitals labeled as "baby-friendly" are not allowed to advertise breast milk substitutes.

Child-friendly offers, products and services

Orientation towards the needs of children and families: child and family-friendly hotels and restaurants, child and family-friendly prices (e.g. reduced tariffs for children or family discounts, reduced children's portions in restaurants, family discounts), children's compartments in trains or - as in Scandinavia - whole Children's wagons to play with.

Products tailored to children as target persons or consumers and labeled as “child-friendly” are not necessarily oriented towards the actual needs of children: “child-friendly advertising”, “child-friendly television”.

The OK seal of approval for kids - child-friendliness was developed by TÜV Nord CERT and the German Child Protection Association. It is intended to distinguish child-friendly products and services and to enable a qualitative orientation in the market. It includes test criteria for child-friendliness in hotels, holiday homes, guest houses and amusement parks.

Child-friendly policy of the state

It is argued that a child-friendly policy can influence the desire for children and the realization of such wishes. (Higher) transfer payments and lower payments of taxes and social security contributions from families (in Germany summarized as family allowances) as well as public investments in the social infrastructure for families, children and young people are required . In the context of a market economy , however, a regulatory check must always be made as to whether the public sector is really responsible for providing certain child-friendly services in individual cases.

From the final document “A Child-Friendly World” adopted by the United Nations in 2002, the German Federal Government initiated the National Action Plan “For a Child-Friendly Germany 2005-2010” ( NAP ). The basis of the National Action Plan is the Convention on the Rights of the Child , which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989 and has so far been ratified by 192 countries around the world. The Federal Ministry for Families, Seniors, Women and Youth (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs) is responsible for developing and implementing the NAP.

The basic concern of the German NAP is to improve the living conditions of children, for which it was divided into six subject areas:

Equal opportunities through education

Due to the important role the school plays for children, the quality and design of the school system are of primary importance. In particular, it is necessary that children receive support appropriate to their age and abilities and that everyday school life is as free as possible without fear, bullying or violence.

In its study “Family-friendly medium-sized cities” published in 2020, Contor GmbH describes cities as “family-friendly” in which “[as] as few children and young people as possible [...] drop out of school” and in which “the city [...] has strong educational , Offers teaching and educational opportunities. "

According to the NAP, it is the task of politics “to provide all children and young people, regardless of their origin and birth, with comprehensive access to high-quality education [...] The Federal Government has therefore made it one of its primary goals to redesign the currently selective education system and instead to declare the individual support of every single child at the heart of a new education policy. "

In its “Annual Report 2007”, UNICEF deals with the situation of children with a migration background in Germany: “In Germany, almost 4.5 million children and young people under the age of 20 whose parents or grandparents have immigrated are growing up. A large number of them have significantly poorer educational opportunities. They attend higher schools less often and make up almost 30 percent of all school dropouts. Almost 40 percent of all adolescents without a vocational qualification are of foreign origin. Often there is a lack of language skills and support in families. At the same time, there are not enough qualified support opportunities in kindergartens and schools. Many children and young people feel they have been sorted out and pushed away. "

UNICEF, the German Child Protection Association, the German Children's Fund and the Alliance for Children are calling for these abuses to be remedied.

Growing up without violence

(see also the article child protection )

The state must take its guardianship seriously (in Germany derived from Article 6 of the Basic Law). This includes that the state learns at an early stage of cases of child abuse , child abuse and neglect of children by their parents, intervenes in accordance with the motto “Demand and Support” and offers help to parents who are overwhelmed. In extreme cases, the state can and must withdraw custody of irresponsible parents and punish them. Well- functioning youth welfare offices are an essential prerequisite for exercising the security office.

The Austrian “Federal Ministry for Health, Family and Youth” has published a “Guide for child protection work in health professions” entitled “Violence against children and young people”, in which doctors in particular are to be made aware of the physical and psychological consequences of the misconduct of legal guardians. This guide emphasizes the responsibility of the state and society for the well-being of children.

In November 2000, the law on the outlawing of violence in upbringing came into force in Germany, which is intended to make clear to legal guardians that the use of violence is unjust. A new focus of government action is the fight against violence in the form of child neglect . In the brochure "Child Neglect: Recognize - Assess - Act", the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs deals in detail with the topic in cooperation with the German Child Protection Association.

Promote healthy living and environmental conditions

In its brochure "Strategy of the Federal Government to Promote Child Health" from May 2008, the Ministry of Health describes the health situation of children in Germany as follows:

Children from socially disadvantaged families are more likely to be affected by road accidents, various illnesses, obesity and mental health problems than the average, and they are less likely to have preventive medical checkups.
This also applies in part to children with a migration background, e.g. B. in relation to obesity, lack of physical activity and the use of preventive medical check-ups. In other areas they have special resources and health-promoting potential, which, however, are often lost with increasing length of stay.
Chronic diseases such as neurodermatitis and bronchitis are becoming increasingly important compared to acute diseases. Around 13% of the children and adolescents examined suffer from bronchitis, 13% from neurodermatitis and 11% from hay fever.
Mental health problems and behavioral disorders are no longer the exception. Indications of behavioral problems and emotional problems were found in around 12% of the girls and 18% of the boys. Every tenth child shows symptoms of anxiety , and every twentieth child shows symptoms of a depressive disorder. Among 17-year-olds, almost every third girl and about every eighth boy have symptoms of eating disorders . An unfavorable family climate and low socio-economic status are the most important risk factors.
15% of children are overweight .
The motor performance depends inter alia on the social status.

On June 27, 2008, the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Malnutrition, Sedentary Exercise, Obesity and Related Diseases was adopted. Under the motto “IN FORM - Germany's Initiative for Healthy Eating and More Exercise”, the Federal Government wants to promote measures that aim to promote healthy nutrition for children and young people and more exercise.

As early as 2007, the “Symposium (t) spaces for movement” developed suggestions for actors on how children can be motivated to move more.

According to the “National Action Plan for a Child-Friendly Germany”, promoting the health of children and adolescents also includes campaigns against the increasing consumption of alcohol, tobacco products and illegal drugs among children and adolescents and against forced passive smoking .

Participation of children and young people

In the course of the demographic aging of German society, it is becoming more and more important that the interests of children and adolescents are adequately asserted in the process of political decision-making at all levels. For this purpose, children and young people, who are almost entirely excluded from the right to vote in Germany (in some federal states, however, 16-year-olds are allowed to participate in local elections), need “lawyers” who stand up for them.

On September 11, 2003, members of several parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag proposed “Dare to have more democracy through voting rights from birth” (Bundestag printed paper 15/1544). They formally demanded the right to vote for children, which, however, should be exercised by the parents up to the age of majority. The applicants included the then Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse (SPD) and his two deputies Hermann Otto Solms (FDP) and Antje Vollmer (The Greens). The application was ultimately rejected. There are also demands to allow children and young people without age limit to choose personally.

On June 27, 2008, 46 members of the Bundestag submitted a new intergroup motion, according to which children should also be given the right to vote in future. This should initially be exercised in trust by the parents. As soon as children are able to do so, they should exercise the right to vote themselves.

Development of an adequate standard of living for all children

In addition to the appreciation of children, a child- and family-friendly society and politics often also include: a better work-life balance and recognition of parental work . A recognition can be designed, for example, as a financial performance in the form of an educational salary.

The proportion of relatively poor children among children is also an indicator of how child-friendly a society is. A lack of well-being of the children, for example due to a lack of opportunity to participate in social life, is a high stress factor for parents .

The study by Contor GmbH emphasizes the importance of the question of how good the chances are for parents to achieve prosperity in the city concerned, and how low the probability of becoming unemployed: “The probability of unemployment and / or bankruptcies to be threatened should be minor. The region should offer some prosperity or move in a positive direction. "

International commitments

The Federal Government's foreign and development policy should also be characterized by being child-friendly : The primary focus is on combating child poverty in developing countries , on children's education and health (especially protection against AIDS ), on the situation of children who have fled, and on equality of girls.

From Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the signatory states of the Convention are obliged to offer an inclusive school system, i.e. not excluding children with disabilities. The Disability Rights Convention is based on financial studies, according to which an inclusive education system is usually more cost-effective in the long term than the maintenance of a dual system of mainstream and special schools; accordingly, lack of public funds would not be an acceptable reason not to implement the postulate of inclusion.

Family-friendly company policy

Municipal level

The German Children's Fund demands:

"Child-friendliness" must become a real trademark in the definition and design of local political priorities. "

The child and family friendliness of local politics is also important from an economic and demographic point of view. It is believed that local conditions for young families have an impact on the arrival and departure of young families. Here, too, it must be checked whether and to what extent the political municipality is responsible for changes. Family- and child-friendly action in municipalities (through municipal politics, but also through the “politics” of local companies) is increasingly seen as a hard location factor when recruiting increasingly scarce qualified personnel. For example, individual municipalities practice a “child discount” when buying land from the municipality, which is intended to encourage the influx of young families or prevent them from moving out of demographic considerations, or keep heritable building plots available for such purposes; other municipalities are considering following this example. Other options for local government are to reduce local fees for families and to promote voluntary work in favor of families and children (especially the work of local associations ) financially and by providing local infrastructures. In everyday matters and upbringing, the municipality is also called upon to support overburdened parents or parents who need advice. The range of parenting courses and the establishment of a “family midwife” serve this purpose .

According to the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities adopted by the ministers responsible for urban development in the member states of the European Union, educational offers are to be provided in "disadvantaged urban districts" which are suitable to improve the chances of the children and young people living there.

At the municipal level, too, there are considerations as to how the interests of children and young people can be asserted more strongly in the process of political decision-making and how children and young people can have a say . The “Children's Aid Organization” in Brandenburg, for example, offers a training course “Moderator for children and youth participation”. In many municipalities there are child and youth parliaments ; Another possibility for participation are child and youth councils .

The creation of a child-friendly living environment is primarily a municipal political responsibility.

Child and family friendly living environment

Children playing marbles

The main criteria for child-friendly urban planning are areas of movement that give them the freedom to develop their skills. There is talk of an increasing "domesticization" and "islanding" of childhood, in which, especially in cities, the living space of children is limited to interior spaces and individual areas that are often only accessible to them with the help of adults. The so-called “Freiburg Children's Study” showed that there is hardly any other influencing factor that has such a strong impact on everyday life as the possibility of unsupervised play with people of the same age in the immediate vicinity. According to the results of the study, characteristics of the immediate living environment (within a radius of 150 to 200 meters) influence the use of time by children to a far greater extent than do the characteristics of the parents' age, gender, family status, employment and educational background. Local politics plays an important role here, as it can exert an influence, for example, through local transport policy and the placement and design of venues or spaces to experience nature . As a communal planning instrument, the game master plan offers itself here . Initiatives such as the development of children's city maps clarify the spatial structure of offers for children.

Child-friendliness of residential complexes, such as large green areas and pedestrian areas, a high density of children's playgrounds and proximity to kindergartens, schools and sports facilities, is used in real estate trading as an argument for the value of a residential area.

In this context, we speak of a child-friendly transport policy when children can move around safely in their residential area, they can walk to school without fear and have sufficient play and exercise space outdoors and when parents do not have to constantly look after their children and because of the public Means of transport without a private car. Approaches to change include, for example, opening schoolyards outside of school hours and making better use of backyards . Private initiatives to create community gardens are also known.

Traffic-calmed areas such as pedestrian zones , play streets and car-free living areas with playgrounds and open spaces make the living environment child-friendly. So-called “optically car-free” areas, for example traffic-free residential parks with underground access to the parking spaces, do not fulfill the ecological function of completely car-free areas, but allow children a largely traffic-safe environment. Even blind alleys and side streets can make the range of motion of children safer and quieter. However, in Germany, for example, there is criticism of road traffic law because children cannot play safely even in dead ends. In Austria, a dead end street was declared a residential street for a limited number of hours a day in an individual decision in order to reconcile the interests of neighbors with children and those in need of rest without children. In Scandinavia, child-friendly living environments have emerged in which pedestrians and children playing on the one hand and motor vehicles on the other are on separate traffic levels.

Enforcing road safety measures for children is generally seen as a tedious and lengthy process. According to the Swiss Association of Parents' Organizations, the ability for children to play freely in the neighborhood is heavily dependent on the behavior of individuals: one or two "speeders" a day would effectively drive children playing on an otherwise quiet street off the street .

The German Children's Fund calls for "a networked system of child-friendly play, adventure and recreation areas in cities and municipalities" and states:

“The spaces of experience of children and young people have been completely changed or have been lost through intensive development and functionalization of the external spaces of cities and municipalities. Children and adolescents get into isolation because they are offered playgrounds as reserves or areas of inferior quality of open space on the outskirts or neighborhoods, which are difficult to reach or can be dangerous. Roads with heavy traffic form barriers that are difficult or impossible to overcome and that divide the city districts. In addition, residential streets have been almost completely lost as playgrounds for children in recent years. "

The area of "family-friendly living environment" is one of the subject areas in which the Local Alliances for Families are also involved.

Individual countries in comparison

According to a study by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development , Iceland, Sweden and France are among the most child-friendly countries in Europe if child-friendliness is based on criteria such as the number of crèche and kindergarten places, the family size and the proportion of women who oppose a Living with children is decided, is measured.

Other studies focus on the living conditions of children in society. In a 2007 UNICEF study, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland were named among 21 countries as the most child-friendly countries; The UK and US had the worst ratings. Germany is in the midfield in all sub-areas (11th place out of 21 countries), Austria in the bottom third (18th place). In a UNICEF study on family-friendliness in Europe published in 2019, Switzerland ranks last.

Individual evidence

↑ The LBS Children's Barometer

↑ Klaus Hurrelmann et al.ii; World Vision Germany (Ed.): Children in Germany 2010: 2nd World Vision Children's Study , Fischer 2010, Frankfurt, ISBN 3-596-18640-4 , ISBN 978-3-596-18640-2

^ Adolph Freiherr Knigge : About dealing with people in the Gutenberg-DE project

↑ cf. also the cover story Come on, educate me! . In: Stern , issue 22/2008

^ Günter Mey: The approaches to the child perspective - methods of childhood research. (No longer available online.) In: Online Family Handbook. January 31, 2006, archived from the original on October 5, 2008 ; Retrieved September 7, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.

↑ Kinderschutzbund Karlsruhe: The most important demands of the children's rights convention kinderschutzbund-karlsruhe.de ( Memento of the original from July 14th 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ Hans-H. Münkner: Surviving Without Solidarity? Lecture as part of the lecture series "Threats to humans and nature - exaggerated or played down?" (PDF). Accessed on March 15, 2008 . P. 15
↑ Berlin declaration ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 1.57 MB), published by the Federal Family Forum@1@ 2
↑ A win for everyone: Certificate and seal of approval “OK for Kids”. (PDF) Retrieved May 22, 2008 .
↑ bmfsfj.de ( Memento of the original from October 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) @1@ 2

↑ Henner Lüttich: Family-friendly medium-sized cities. Analysis of 585 German medium-sized towns with 20,000 to 75,000 inhabitants on the subject of family friendliness . Contor GmbH. 2020. p. 6

↑ NAP, p. 11

↑ unicef.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.71 MB) p. 20f.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.unicef.de

↑ kinderrechte.gv.at ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF)@1@ 2

↑ NAP, p. 27

↑ NAP, p. 29

↑ cdl.niedersachsen.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ bmg.bund.de
↑ dvgs.de
↑ dvgs.de (PDF; 1.02 MB)
↑ NAP, pp. 44f.
↑ amication.de ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ kinderpolitik.de ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ geo.de
↑ Bundestag printed paper 16/9868 dip21.bundestag.de (PDF; 83 kB)

↑ cf. z. B. the section My parents are unemployed - for years. If children's bike, football club and tutoring remain in the contribution shadow children of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Nordrhein-Westfalen e. V. paritaet-nrw.org ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.