PRESS REPORT
European family associations call for EU-support in parental training.
Vienna , 24 th October 2005. Catholic Family Associations in Europe initiate an EU-debate on the effects of mobile phones & co. on parents and educators. Following the latest survey on parents in Austria, President Johannes Fenz calls for clear guidelines on parental training and the setting-up of a media training programme to make young people more competent and less easy to manipulate.
“The fact that more than two-thirds of parents fear mobile phones more than cars as a debt trap shows how insecure parents are in dealing with mobile phones & co.” says Johannes Fenz, President of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), commenting on the latest survey among parents in Austria. For the Federation, this confirms the feelings of their member families, namely that parents are put into a massive state of uncertainty by the debt trap caused by mobile phones, the health risks caused by the radiation of mobile phones and the lack of communication at home and school, triggered off by mobile phones & co.
To support parents in bringing up their children and to help young people to use media in a responsible way – these are the main demands of the FAFCE. On 26 th October, within the framework of the parliamentary work group “family and child protection” at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the FAFCE is to demand financial support for a parental training drive on the handling of new media, such as mobile phones, computers and the Internet. To quote Mr. Fenz, “In the ever-more complex world of media, the protection of young people is often only possible as self-protection, brought about by making sure that young people are media-competent and well-trained. That is why the initiatives of the European Union must be aimed in this direction.” As an immediate measure, Mr. Fenz welcomes the parents’ wish (according to the survey) for a revival of landline phones: “Landline phones are an economical and effective alternative to mobile phones and can be used to teach children correct telephone manners and make them aware of the costs at an early age.”
Clear EU-guidelines for parental training
Mr. Fenz calls for a political discussion both in Austria within the framework of its EU-Presidency in the coming year and at EU-level on an improvement of consumer rights regarding withdrawal from contracts and a reduction of advertising targeted at children. The Family Association also calls for annual statistical evaluation of the share of household budget taken up by the new media. The mobile phone companies also come under criticism: “In the areas of standing charges and the charges for calls made, there is insufficient clarity and inadequate comparability; because of this, companies must be legally obliged to give their customers clear information and a transparent understanding of costs”, in order to fight the debt trap of mobile phones effectively.