A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Juliana Zabatiero, Curtin University; Kate Highfield, University of Canberra; Leon Straker, Curtin University, and Susan Edwards, Australian Catholic University Many Australian parents worry about how much time their children spend watching screens. While some time on devices is fine for entertainment and education, we also know it is important children do things away from TVs [...]
Michoel Moshel, Macquarie University; Jennifer Batchelor, Macquarie University; Joanne Bennett, Australian Catholic University, and Wayne Warburton, Macquarie University Screens have become seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, serving as indispensable tools for work, education and leisure. But while they enrich our lives in countless ways, we often fail to consider the potential impact of screen [...]
Taren Sanders, Australian Catholic University; Chris Lonsdale, Australian Catholic University; Michael Noetel, The University of Queensland, and Philip D Parker, Australian Catholic University Ask any parent and it’s likely they’ll tell you they’re worried about their kids’ screen time. A 2021 poll found it was Australian parents’ number one health concern for their kids – [...]
Download PDF here! Imagine for a moment that we were doing a hypnosis session. The imagery of the session absorbs your mind, you feel calm and safe. You are on a delightful inner journey. There may be challenges to encounter that absorb you and enchant you and you may be on a quest to [...]
Sharon Horwood, Deakin University A ping from the pizza company. A couple of pings from your socials. Ping, ping, ping from your family WhatsApp group trying to organise a weekend barbecue. With all those smartphone notifications, it’s no wonder you lose focus on what you’re trying to do do. Your phone doesn’t even need to [...]
Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University Has your child’s screentime increased since COVID? If you were to estimate by how much would you say 20%, 30% or even a 50% increase? A newly released review comparing children’s screentime before and during COVID, shows children’s screentime spiked by a whopping 52% between 2020 and 2022. Increases were [...]
Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Deakin University and Sharon Horwood, Deakin University From learning numbers to learning how to brush your teeth, it seems there’s a kids’ app for everything. Recent US statistics indicate more than half of toddlers and three-quarters of preschoolers regularly access mobile apps. So it’s no surprise there has been an explosion of options [...]
By Catherine Draper, University of the Witwatersrand It comes as no surprise that children are spending more time watching screens as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents and caregivers in many parts of the world – including South Africa, where I have done research on children’s healthy behaviours – have had a hard time [...]
By Dr Piers Gooding, Dr Rys Farthing and Emily Painter In 2018, a Melbourne high school mistakenly released the personal digital records of hundreds of students. Among the records were details of students’ “mental health conditions, medications, learning and behavioural difficulties”. This was bad enough but globally breaches of privacy like this can be much [...]
By Maria Corkin, University of Auckland The possibility that screen time during early childhood could cause poorer attention later in a child’s life is a major concern for both parents and researchers. Earlier studies have suggested links between preschoolers’ screen time and difficulties with attention. But there is by no means consensus among the research [...]
