Toy Story 5 pits traditional toys vs a tablet.

Toy Story 5 is the latest instalment of the film franchise addresses a dilemma many parents face: what happens to playtime when children become obsessed with screens?...

02 July, 2026

Why the ‘no screens’ rule is setting parents up to fail

Parents are told to avoid screens altogether in the first two years of a child’s life, writes Stephanie Milford. At the same time, digital devices are part of everyday family life used for communication, work, learning, and at times, simply getting through the day....

03 June, 2026

New research shows digital technology is linked to reduced wellbeing in young kids.

What can parents do? Jacquelyn Harverson, Louise Paatsch and Sharon Horwood look at the links between digital technology use and young children’s well-being. Once upon a time, children fought for control of the remote to the sole family television. Now, the choice of screen-based content available to kids...

08 May, 2025

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