Screen Time and Children’s Vision

A behavioural optometrist provides some insight into the effect screen time has on children’s eyes and how to combat this....

12 October, 2024

How does screen time actually affect kids health?

If you’re a parent, writes  Nick Fuller, you’ll be well-acquainted with one of the more hotly debated parenting topics: screen time and kids. On the one hand, screen time helps kids learn, develop creativity and supports social interaction and connection. But too much screen time can negatively...

24 August, 2024

4 ways to help your child have a healthy screen time

We reviewed 100 studies about little kids and screens, reports Sumudu Mallawaarachchi and Dylan Cliff Here are 4 ways to help your child use them well Screen time is one of the top worries for Australian parents. In a national February 2021 poll by the Royal Children’s...

10 August, 2024

How can our family connect again when we are always glued to separate devices?

It’s Saturday afternoon, and the kids are all connected to separate devices. So are the parents. Sound familiar? Asks Elise Waghorn. Many families want to set ground rules to help them reduce their screen time – and have time to connect with each other without devices. But...

18 April, 2024

Why do parents talk about “Screen use” and “not enough exercise”?

3 ways screens can get kids moving Researchers Juliana Zabatiero, Kate Highfield, Leon Straker and Susan Edwards look at how screens can help children be physically active. There have been concerns about screens making kids more sedentary and less active since TV was introduced more than half a...

07 March, 2024

Why excessive screen time can affect young people’s emotional development

Rachael Sharman and Michael Nagel report A recent Beyond Blue survey of more than 2,000 teachers identified mental ill-health and excessive screen time as the biggest problems facing their students. Comments from teachers revealed a perceived lack of social skill development in children and teens. As one...

25 January, 2024

3 ways to help your child transition off screens and avoid the dreaded ‘tech tantrums’

Juliana Zabatiero, Kate Highfield, Leon Straker and Susan Edwards look at how parents and carers can help children with what researchers call “technology transitions”. Many Australian parents worry about how much time their children spend watching screens. While some time on devices is fine for entertainment and...

25 January, 2024

3 tips to cut back on screen time for the whole family

Kids’ screen time rose by 50% during the pandemic. Joanne Orlando suggests a healthier way to balance it out for the whole family. Has your child’s screentime increased since COVID? If you were to estimate by how much would you say 20%, 30% or even a...

17 November, 2022

4 ways to get your kids off the couch these summer holidays

What can parents do? Tim Olds, Amanda Watson and Carol Maher have some suggestions. The sun’s shining and there’s a trampoline in the backyard. Yet your kids want to spend their summer holidays lying on the couch playing computer games all day. So what can you do to...

06 January, 2022

What Your Kids Are Really Watching on YouTube

So what are your kids really watching on YouTube? Is it all just toy unboxings, people filling bath tubs with Fanta and gaming walkthroughs?...

28 September, 2017