Wuppertal warns: Young people are at risk of disappearing due to debt traps!

Wuppertal warns: Young people are at risk of disappearing due to debt traps!

The financial education of young people is the focus of the discussion, which was fueled on Monday, June 2nd, 2025, by the Wuppertaler Diakonie's debt counseling service. Anke Lichte, the head of Diakonie debt counseling, emphasized the urgent need for young people to learn how to handle money at school. Classes on this topic used to be common, but today there are no resources for this.

With the start of a nationwide debt counseling campaign week on the same day, attention is being drawn to the alarming debt problems among young people. More and more young people are getting into financial difficulties due to consumer offers such as those from Klarna, a popular payment service provider for installment payments. Lichte explains that many files in her advice are linked to this service provider, which shows how easy it is to lose track of your own finances.

Debt traps and prevention

The problem that many young people find themselves in is a serious issue. According to reports from consumer protection forum.berlin A lack of financial education opportunities is increasingly leading to debt traps. Young people, who are often only sporadically informed about their finances, are at the mercy of frivolous offers that can jeopardize their economic situation.

Diakonie therefore not only calls for a rethinking of the education system, but also practical help that lays a solid financial foundation. Those responsible emphasize that early and ongoing financial education is crucial to promote independence and responsible behavior.

Given the increasing number of young people experiencing financial hardship, it is more important than ever to provide preventive measures and educational opportunities. It remains to be hoped that the coming week of action not only creates awareness, but also leads to political action.