Technology and Our Kids.

As a society there are many concerns being raised about the impacts that technology is having on our kids. The research within psychology is presenting us with conflicting findings. It’s very hard to measure the negative impacts of technology when there are so many variables to measure or to account for. For example, are we measuring the time on a screen, like reading, gaming, watching tv or just social media time? If we are just measuring social media time, are we including all platforms or just one?

The main message from digital researchers is to question are all your child’s needs being met? For example, are they getting enough sleep, movement, connection with their family and community? Like any form of addiction, it becomes a problem if it’s preventing other needs being met.

Safety.gov.au is a government site that you can access for resources and information about your child’s digital health. This is their checklist of signs to look out for regarding screen time use.

Signs to watch for Time online | eSafety Commissioner

Signs that your child’s online activity may be having a negative impact on them or on your family include: 

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
• appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family

For more information you can peruse Jocelyn Brewers website. She is a teacher and a psychologist who specialises in digital nutrition. I’ve added a link below that explains how to implement family technology agreements. Be warned, it involves the adults also following the agreement ?

Explainer: Family Technology-use Agreements - Jocelyn Brewer

Katrina Ballantyne

College Counsellor