DGB 2: Digital Services, Health and the Environment

← Digital Literacy – Year 2

Digital services address needs for information, learning, entertainment, communication and organisation. Conscious use means being able to distinguish between a personal goal, a habit and an external trigger while also considering health, time, cost and environmental consequences.

Curriculum reference

Area	Classification
Competence area	Orientation
Perspectives	Societal and interaction perspectives (G, I)
Focus	Digital services, personal needs, health and environmental aspects
Competence	Compare digital services in terms of usefulness, needs, health effects and environmental consequences and develop practical strategies for self-directed use.

Learning objectives

Students can:

name different needs behind digital use;
distinguish purpose, habit and external triggers;
compare digital services by benefit, time, distraction and cost;
describe possible effects on sleep, concentration, movement, posture, eye strain and stress;
apply basic ergonomic principles for screen work;
use notification and quiet settings to support concentration;
name electricity use, device production, raw materials, lifetime and electronic waste as environmental aspects;
understand repair, long device use and considered replacement as possible actions;
recognise streaming, cloud use and digital infrastructure as energy-dependent services;
evaluate school and leisure use in a differentiated rather than blanket way;
develop a personal plan for healthier and more sustainable digital use.

Learning content

Needs and habits

Digital services can inform, entertain, support communication, help learning or make organisation easier. Use may start because of a clear goal or simply from habit. Asking ‘What do I want to achieve right now?’ helps distinguish purposeful use from automatic opening.

Attention and external triggers

Notifications, recommendations, autoplay and badges can interrupt a planned activity and attract attention. These features can be useful, but they can also encourage unplanned use. Settings and personal routines can reduce unnecessary interruptions.

Health and screen use

Long periods in one position, late-night use, continuous notifications and poor workstation setup can affect well-being. Helpful strategies include changing posture, taking regular breaks, adjusting display brightness and text size, keeping a suitable viewing distance and protecting sleep time. The goal is not to reject digital media but to use them deliberately.

Concentration and time

A digital tool can help with homework while another tab or notification causes distraction. Separating work phases from entertainment, using focus or do-not-disturb functions and setting a clear task before opening a device can support concentration.

Environmental aspects

Devices require raw materials, manufacturing, transport and electricity. Data centres and networks also use energy. Device lifetime, repairability, reuse and responsible disposal are therefore relevant. Digital services can also save resources in some situations, for example by reducing journeys or paper. The effect must be considered case by case.

Streaming, cloud services and infrastructure

Streaming and cloud storage appear immaterial on the screen but depend on servers, networks and user devices. Quality settings, repeated transfer and the number of devices can influence data and energy use. The aim is to understand the infrastructure behind a service rather than to make simplistic judgements.

Developing personal strategies

A useful personal strategy combines technical settings and habits: reduce unnecessary notifications, plan breaks, choose a suitable workspace, keep devices longer when practical, repair or reuse them where possible and question whether a new purchase is really needed.

Classroom activities

Observe and evaluate your own digital use

Record categories such as purpose, duration and trigger for a limited period without recording private content.

Expected outcome: A factual overview of purposeful and habitual use.

Distinguish needs and habits

Sort example situations into need, purpose, habit and external trigger and discuss difficult cases.

Expected outcome: Reasoned classifications.

Investigate health effects

Analyse fictional screen-use scenarios and suggest changes relating to sleep, movement, posture, eye strain and concentration.

Expected outcome: Practical health-oriented suggestions.

Weigh up environmental consequences

Create a simple life-cycle view of a digital device from production to use and disposal.

Expected outcome: A balanced environmental overview.

Evaluate digital services using several criteria

Compare two services by usefulness, cost, distraction, privacy, accessibility and environmental aspects.

Expected outcome: A justified comparison.

Plan personal actions

Choose three realistic changes to settings or routines and explain how they support healthier or more sustainable use.

Expected outcome: A personal action plan.

Discuss everyday dilemmas

Discuss situations such as ‘new phone or repair’, ‘stream now or download once’, or ‘notifications on or off’.

Expected outcome: Reasoned trade-offs rather than one universal answer.

Design healthy and sustainable media practice

Create a class checklist for device use during learning, breaks and leisure.

Expected outcome: A practical class guide.

Compare school and leisure services

Explain why the same amount of screen time can have different purposes and effects depending on the activity.

Expected outcome: A differentiated evaluation.

Summarise your strategy

Write five rules you consider realistic for your own digital life.

Expected outcome: A concise reflection.

Self-check

I can distinguish purposeful use, habits and external triggers.
I can describe health aspects of digital use.
I can apply basic ergonomic and concentration strategies.
I can name environmental effects across a device's life cycle.
I can choose digital services using several criteria.
I can develop realistic strategies for healthier and more sustainable use.