In Austria, digital transformation is progressing inexorably. More and more young people can hardly imagine life without digital media. Throughout the course of the present paper, the media usage behavior of the so-called "digital natives" is analyzed as well as the risks and dangers in dealing with new technologies are identified. Many of these young people can properly operate their digital devices; however, they are hardly or not at all aware of the lurking dangers of the World Wide Web. The Austrian government sees great potential in the advancement of digitalization and is keen on - from their point of view - optimally preparing its young generation for the associated digital requirements, which is why "digital basic education" was launched. The paper at hand summarizes the most important cornerstones of Austria's efforts in the digital education of schoolchildren and also considers the advisements of our neighboring country Germany on this topic. However, in order to be able to carry out the “digital basic education” planned by the government, it is necessary to train prospective and existing teaching staff in Austria. For this reason, the curricula of the Austrian universities of teacher education are analyzed in the subject ‘Information Technology’ (IT) and compared with the "digi.komp" initiative decided by the government. This is to determine whether prospective IT teachers are adequately trained to familiarize young people with the risks and dangers of new media in addition to basic digital knowledge. Finally, the situation regarding the “digital fitness” of Austria's schools and their teachers is shown using the example of the coronavirus pandemic of spring 2020.
