Media Literacy and Developmental Tasks: A Case Study in Germany

This article presents a skill-based media literacy model which can help to explain digital inequalities. The model integrates the everyday life of children and their developmental tasks. Under this concept, users are media literate if they are able to fulfil their developmental tasks successfully by using the media and to reflect upon the consequences and risks of their media use. In 2011, 82 German boys and girls were interviewed to gain a better understanding of the connections between internet use, media literacy and digital inequalities.