Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of Swiss teenagers’ lives. According to the James-Focus study conducted by ZHAW and Swisscom, 71 percent of the 12- to 19-year-olds surveyed have used AI tools at least once, and many already use them regularly. The Focus study builds on the James study from November 2024 and focuses on the everyday use of AI among teenagers.According to the study, the usage rate increases significantly with age: 84% of 18 to 19-year-olds already use AI tools, compared to around half of 12 to 13-year-olds. 1183 young people from German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino were surveyed for the representative study.
Predominantly school use
The results show that young people primarily use AI technologies for educational purposes, such as for research, explaining topics, demonstrating solutions or generating texts. In contrast, use for entertainment purposes, such as chatbots or image generators, plays a subordinate role.
Favorite is ChatGPT
ChatGPT dominates the world of AI applications. The tool was by far the most frequently used by the young people surveyed. This can presumably be attributed to the fact that it was the first tool to be available to the general public free of charge.
My AI", Snapchat's chatbot, and Microsoft's Copilot follow in second place. "My AI" is particularly popular with girls, which is probably related to the generally high use of Snapchat among young people. A total of 67 different AI applications were named in the study.
Cautious optimism instead of blind euphoria
"The study shows a differentiated picture: most people are cautiously optimistic about the technology. They are not unconditionally euphoric, but reflective," says ZHAW researcher and co-head of the study Gregor Waller. Regular users have a more positive attitude towards the technology. This is particularly evident when searching for information, possibly due to the immediate added value they experience. The study results point to a reciprocal effect: Young people who have good experiences with AI develop more trust - and vice versa.
Attitudes towards AI are also strongly influenced by individual lifeworlds, interests and everyday experiences. Gender-specific differences are striking here: girls rated AI significantly more negatively than boys, the report continues. The researchers suspect that this could be due to socially influenced reservations, stereotypical role models or a lower level of confidence in their own technical abilities. The place of residence also plays a role. Young people from urban areas are more open to AI than their peers in rural areas.
Challenges for education and upbringing
As AI will increasingly shape the lives of young people, the authors of the study believe it is essential to give young people access to AI technologies and enable them to use them in a reflective and responsible manner. They point out that AI users could gain advantages in the school and professional context - for example through more efficient learning, better mastery of complex tasks or increased productivity.
The rapid technological development poses new challenges for both teachers and parents. "The technical development steps are a major challenge. As parents and educators, we are well advised to actively address the issue in order to provide our children and young people with the best possible support," emphasizes Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom.
In order to strengthen the ability to question critically, young people's confidence in their own skills and knowledge should be encouraged. There is often a lack of differentiated understanding of the risks and opportunities of AI - and the same applies to adults. It is therefore advisable for young people and parents to explore the new technologies together. (Tanja Mettauer/NetzKI Bot/rja)
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AI tools are conquering the everyday lives of young people at record speed. According to the study, around 71% have already had experience with ChatGPT and co. A third of all young people already use AI tools at least once a week, even though this technology only came to the attention of the masses at the end of 2022.
"Never before has a medium been integrated into everyday life as quickly as AI tools have. This means that critically questioning information will become even more important in the future," says ZHAW researcher and co-head of the study Gregor Waller. Young people need to be made aware of the issue and taught how to check information for accuracy.
Social media: Big Four consolidates
Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Snapchat remain the most popular social networks and messengers among young people in Switzerland. These "big four" of digital communication are an integral part of their everyday lives - regardless of age, gender and socio-demographic background. Young people mainly consume content on social networks without commenting on it, sharing it or regularly uploading posts themselves.
Together with other social networks, messengers and video portals, the Big Four are regularly used both to obtain information and for entertainment purposes, with the latter predominating.
Saturation trends in media use
A tendency towards saturation can be seen in young people's media use. Many media activities such as listening to music, using social networks or watching videos on the internet are now so deeply integrated into everyday life that a further increase in usage hardly seems possible. In view of school, teaching, non-media leisure activities or social activities, a kind of natural maximum seems to have been reached. "The stable results could indicate that the digital routines and habits of young people have become firmly established in everyday life," concludes ZHAW researcher and co-author Céline Külling-Knecht.
There was a decline in the use of traditional media. While a quarter of the young people surveyed still regularly used magazine and newspaper portals for information purposes in 2018, this figure is now only 10%. At the same time, more than half of the young people surveyed use social networks as a source of information (57%). Even if traditional news providers are also present on social networks, anyone can in principle disseminate information unfiltered on these platforms. According to the study, this increases the risk of fake news and potentially exposes young people to more manipulation and misinformation.
"Dark patterns" as hidden risks in gaming
Eight out of ten young people game at least once in a while. Among boys, who are around twice as likely to game regularly as girls, gaming is by far the most popular leisure activity. Free-to-play games, such as the mobile game "Brawl Stars", are particularly popular, followed by "Fortnite" and "Minecraft".
The fascination with these games is partly due to so-called "dark patterns", manipulative design strategies that are intended to influence player behavior. These include, for example, loot boxes (random rewards that encourage players to continue playing and buying) or complex in-game currencies (which make it difficult to keep track of actual costs). The "dark patterns" of video games also include time-limited rewards and the resulting feeling of missing out ("Fear of Missing Out" FOMO), social obligations within the game (both increase the pressure to play regularly) and loss aversion (mechanisms where players can lose what they have already achieved).
These games are monetized through microtransactions (payment model in which users can purchase virtual goods in the game). Around half of all young people surveyed have already made such a purchase. "In light of these mechanisms, parents in particular have a duty to get to grips with different games and be open to their children's gaming behavior," says Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom. Authorities should also keep an eye on the developments surrounding "dark patterns" and intervene with regulation if necessary, as has already happened in some countries such as the Netherlands and the UK.
Prevention of problematic media use
36 percent of the young people surveyed stated that they had been asked about the appearance of their body at least once in the last two years, while around a third had experienced strangers in the digital space wanting to talk to them about sex or approaching them with unwanted sexual intentions.
The differences between girls and boys are significant: girls have experienced various forms of sexual harassment much more frequently. Almost one in two young people have already experienced one form or another of sexually motivated contact on the internet. The frequency of such experiences also increases significantly with age. "It is unacceptable that children are harassed in this way. Platforms such as Instagram or TikTok must be held more accountable here so that young people are better protected", Michael In Albon makes his position on this issue clear.
Gender also plays a role in cyberbullying: at 28%, almost twice as many boys as girls report that they have been abused or insulted online at least once. At the same time, boys are also far more likely to play an active, bullying role themselves. There is hardly any difference in the frequency of active cyberbullying or being affected by cyberbullying. One possibility is that many young people both actively bully and are bullied. "As there is hardly any increase in cyberbullying with age, it makes sense to start prevention on this topic at primary school level," says Céline Külling-Knecht, ZHAW researcher and co-author.
Sport remains the most important leisure activity
When young people spend their free time alone, sporting activities, audiovisual media and music are at the top of the list. Sport in particular has become more important compared to the 2022 James Study and is now the most popular leisure activity.
While gaming and sporting activities clearly dominate for boys, girls focus on other cultural (reading and music) and creative (baking, drawing) activities. As in 2022, the most important leisure activities for young people with friends are sports activities, spending time outdoors in nature and doing things together. Having conversations with friends is also very important to young people.
Young people like to read, and this has been a constant in media use for many years. In addition, more and more book-related content can be found on various platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The content is so widespread that separate names such as "BookTok", "Bookstagram" or "BookTube" have become established for these subcultures. For the first time since 2016, young people's favorite books were therefore surveyed again in 2024. In first place is the Harry Potter series, which has topped the rankings since 2012. Also popular in 2024 are "Greg's Diary", "The Three???" and "One Piece". Since 2012, the most popular books have always been those that have also been made into films. It is striking that reading behavior differs particularly between the sexes. Girls generally read more than boys and also tend to describe it as one of their favorite leisure activities.
For the James Study, around 1,000 young people aged 12 to 19 are surveyed every two years.
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Girls are joining new networks earlier than boys and are thus becoming trendsetters. They are currently making much greater use of TikTok and Pinterest, and in 2014 this was also the case with Instagram. This is shown by the current James study, for which around 1,000 young people aged 12 to 19 are surveyed every two years. "If this trend continues, we will be able to use female use of social networks as an indicator for all young people in the future," says ZHAW researcher and co-study leader Gregor Waller.
Instagram and Snapchat most frequently used
Social networks continue to be among the most important media elements in the everyday lives of young people in Switzerland. Almost all of them use WhatsApp for communication (97 percent of users at least several times a week). In addition, Instagram (81 percent) and Snapchat (76 percent) continue to be used most frequently and have remained stable over the years. A rapid increase can be seen with Tiktok: 67 percent of young people use the platform regularly (2018: 8 percent), with girls using the app more frequently than boys. On the other hand, young people have virtually disappeared from Facebook: only 5 percent still use the network daily or several times a week (2014: 79 percent).
View and like posts
Activities on social networks have remained constant. The most frequent activities are regularly looking at posts by others (56 percent) and liking them (55 percent) or writing personal messages via chat (57 percent). Young people post their own posts much less frequently, and when they do they tend to post time-limited stories or snaps.
Video games remain popular: 79 percent play at least occasionally, with boys gaming significantly more often (93 percent) than girls (65 percent). Compared to previous years, however, the number of girls gaming has increased. In addition, younger young people enjoy gaming more than older young people. Free games are played most frequently (60 percent). Paid video games, on the other hand, are used by only 35 percent. The number of young people who regularly make in-game purchases has more than doubled in two years, from 3 percent to the current 8 percent.
Careless about privacy
When it comes to protecting their privacy online, young people are becoming more careless: Whereas ten years ago 84 percent said they had activated the relevant settings in social networks, this figure has now fallen to just 60 percent. Concerns about others being able to see personal information online have decreased further (2012: 38 percent; 2022: 28 percent). At the same time, however, the majority of young people tend to behave cautiously on social networks and reveal little about themselves in public.
Here there is more information about the study.
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A research team led by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, together with colleagues from the Universities of Lugano and Lausanne, delved into the lifeworld of young people. The goal was to determine how "digital natives" can be reached with news.
To do this, they conducted interviews with the participants, who were between 12 and 20 years old, documented their news consumption and had them write media diaries. This revealed how young people's news behavior changes with age.
Influenced by parents' news consumption
According to the study, the news consumption of 12- to 14-year-olds is strongly influenced by their parents. They hardly use their smartphones to access online news offerings - partly because parents and school restrict their time with cell phones. Instead, they sometimes browse the newspaper at home or watch the daily news with their parents. However, the reports are usually incomprehensible to them or do not interest them because they see no points of contact with their own lives.
Open for any news
From the age of 14, the picture changes: The influence of parents decreases, that of friends, acquaintances and social media platforms increases. Young people want to be informed in order to have their say and be socially integrated. However, they do not yet have a news routine and are open to any news.
This age group therefore has the highest chance of being reached with new news formats, write the study authors. According to the study, this age group would like to see apps with images, short videos and text overlays that summarize the most important information.
As soon as young people reach their 18th birthday, they access news very specifically via apps and social media channels. They know what they want to know, where they can get the information, and which formats they like best. Although videos and pictures are still popular, they are gradually gaining a liking for written reports. (SDA)
In the past six years, sexual harassment on the Internet has increased markedly from 19 percent to 44 percent. According to the James Study - Youth, Activity, Media, Survey Switzerland - girls were more likely to be victims of sexual harassment (55 percent) than boys (28 percent).
"Of course, young people of this age are increasingly interested in sexual content. But it's quite another thing when young people are unintentionally confronted with it," Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom, was quoted as saying in a statement from ZHAW and Swisscom. The significant increase in such harassment also has to do with the trivialization of sexualized content on the Internet.
"Cyberbullying" affects even the youngest
According to the researchers, interest in erotic, sexual content is part of growing up and developing one's own sexuality. However, it can also be problematic, as certain pornographic content conveys a false or one-sided image of sexuality and can sometimes have a disturbing effect. The survey showed that a good half of 18- and 19-year-olds had viewed pornographic content on their cell phones or computers or had been sent erotic images.
A quarter of young people have also been confronted with so-called "cyberbullying," including one in ten 12- and 13-year-olds.
Tiktok increasingly important
The James study also shows that cell phone use has increased sharply in the last two years. At weekends, it is almost two hours higher than in 2018 at five hours, while during the week it is around 40 minutes more than two years ago at three hours a day.
Social networks are particularly important for young people, where they view and "like" posts from others. Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok have overtaken the Facebook platform: 90 percent have an account on Instagram or Snapchat, three out of four young people on Tiktok. Just 14 percent still use Facebook, compared with 79 percent in 2014.
Less caution on social networks
However, young people seem to be less cautious when it comes to social networks: Whereas in 2014, 81 percent of respondents still protected their privacy with technical settings, in 2020 the figure was 66 percent.
According to the researchers, the cause is likely to be the networks' algorithm: "If young people restrict their privacy, they are less visible and receive less reach. This limits the opportunities to get likes," said media psychologist Gregor Waller of the ZHAW.
Different usage among genders
Furthermore, the James study showed that girls and boys use their cell phones for different purposes: Girls communicate primarily via social networks, listen to music more often, and 86 percent take photos regularly (in contrast to 62 percent of boys).
For boys, on the other hand, the focus is on online videos and games. Two-thirds of them regularly play games, compared to only ten percent of girls. The problem is that just under a quarter of underage gamers say they regularly play games that are not approved for their age.
More family, fewer friends
Another trend in the James study showed that three-quarters of teen households have a subscription such as Netflix - up from 38 percent in 2016. Music streaming and game flat rate subscriptions also increased significantly.
According to the researchers, the partial lockdown could have accelerated this development. The young people probably made greater use of streaming services to distract themselves or to escape from the reality that was stressing them, said ZHAW media psychologist Daniel Süss.
The Corona crisis probably also reinforced another trend: family is becoming increasingly important for young people. For example, one-third of participants said they had done something with their family (2010: 16 percent), and two-thirds with their friends (2010: 62 percent). (SDA/swi)
Within the framework of the James study (Youth, Activity, Media - Survey Switzerland), which is conducted every two years, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW and Swisscom surveyed around 1,000 young people in Switzerland between the ages of 12 and 19 on their media usage behavior.
Since last week, perhaps the largest hidden pictures in Switzerland have been decorating the Mall of Switzerland. The largest measures almost 30 square meters. At four prominent locations, the illustrations invite young and old to a special egg hunt. Excerpts of the hidden object pictures were used in the form of teasers online and on posters and advertisements to prominently promote the campaign. The egg hunt will run up to and including Easter Monday, with family prizes worth 10,000 Swiss francs.
The founding of a temporary city: "Playoff City". In the spirit of a real city, crowd favorite Josh Holden - former player and current assistant coach - inaugurated the official city sign in front of Bossard Arena in Zug as directly elected city president. F12 posters at the city entrances also prove not only to opponents that the home of EV Zug is in a playoff exceptional state. So far, the "Playoff City" seems to be inspiring the team. After three wins in a row against HC Lugano, only one more victory is needed to enter the semifinals.
James has been the lead agency for the Zug fare network for almost two years. In particular the Zuger Pass Plus has been advertised in recent months with many different motifs and entertaining stories in a network map design. But it is not only the unlimited travel within the fare network that makes the Zuger Pass Plus attractive. The price saving of 25% with the motto "Travel for 12 months, save 3 months" also speaks for this popular product. For this reason, James has launched the "Line Savings Plan". For two weeks in January, it will be displayed at all central stops in the fare network.
The Zug fare network was founded in 1992 and is one of the first integrated networks in Switzerland. All public transport services in the Canton of Zug and all neighboring municipalities are combined in the Zug fare network to offer an optimal public transport service.
Welcome to the club: James launches new image campaign for ONE Already last year, One Training Center chose James as its new agency. The new campaign "Welcome to the Club" pursues two goals: on the one hand, the image change from a classic fitness center to a versatile fitness club, and on the other hand, the positioning as the largest club in Central Switzerland. One is home to the largest fitness community with over 20,000 members.
The campaign kicks off with six advertisements that are published in various daily newspapers, on posters, and online. In addition, various radio spots will promote the USP to a wide range of target groups from young to old. Further campaign pillars will be developed in the coming weeks and months to further expand the market leadership in Central Switzerland.
The agency is currently working on the new image campaign. The first results will be seen in the coming weeks. The hallmarks of OneTraining Centers are "one to one" member care and high quality standards at all levels. All fitness instructors hold the federal certificate of proficiency or are in training to do so. In addition, every member can train at all 14 locations in central Switzerland or relax in the wellness areas.
From the brand name "Athltx" to the positioning and website to the image campaign, everything comes from the hands of the sports-affine agency. The slogan "We train to the finish" is taken literally at Athltx. That's why the company also relies on a 30-day money-back guarantee. Athltx also consciously differentiates itself from the competition in its image campaign. Instead of showing smiling models in high gloss, sweat, will and exhaustion are staged as the real USP's of a successful training. And that offline as well as online.
One year of Mall of Switzerland - that calls for a celebration. That's why James was commissioned by the Mall of Switzerland to create an interactive birthday concept. At the heart of the campaign and the event week was a central key element of O ine shopping: the receipt. Competitions such as "Bring the longest receipt, win 1,000 francs a day" attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the mall for a whole week. The current peak length is 90 cm. Of course, there was also a digital highlight. The "Receipt Snake" game quickly became a visitor favorite.
A congratulations competition with a video booth was also held to find the best congratulations and rewarded with shopping vouchers. As an additional attraction, high-wire acrobat Freddy Nock was on site until Saturday to provide entertainment with interactive live shows and balance workshops as well as a world record attempt on the final day.
The campaign was advertised with prominent key visuals on various channels and attention-grabbing radio spots, among other things.