Outside the Screen Podcast

This show takes us deep into something of central concern to Kim’s work as a psychiatrist: what do we know about the effects of disordered screen use on the brain? The review is of a fun movie that’s great for kids aged 8 and up; and we catch up on what’s happening with children’s international human rights as digital citizens. What have you noticed about the effect on your concentration or decisi...

We’ve had very little to say about sexual content so far on the show, and this is the episode where all that changes. In Paper Round we look at an article about sexting (among other things) and later we Zoom Out to have a think about TikTok’s community guidelines on sexual content. In between, we hear a review of Ponyo , a Studio Ghibli animation from 2008, that’s suitable for children aged 7 and...

In our last episode of the year, we actually sustain a theme! Paper Round looks at a recent review of research on gambling elements in video games, and Policy Corner has an analysis of recent Australian reforms that are based (in part) on that review. In between, we hear the CMA reviewers’ recommendations about a 2012 version of a Dr Seuss favourite. We’ll be back on 14 January, with a slightly mo...

In this short piece, Kim shares his reflections on the interview with Szymon Olejarnik in the main episode. Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe

This week Liz and Kim discuss a Chinese systematic review about loneliness and screen addiction. (Fun fact: a systematic review is a kind of study that aggregates a bunch of other studies.) The review is of an Australian movie about car racing, with some positive messages for kids aged 10 and up, and Liz interviews Szymon Olejarnik, the researcher whose paper we looked at in Episode 14. (And look...

This week’s Paper Round is about keeping the conversation going with adolescents about their online experience - some Chinese research reminds us of some parenting basics and it’s never too late, or too early, to start. The movie review is of a cartoon fantasy adventure that recommended for children aged 6 and up, and we explore the word of children’s TV quotas (including some of the hosts’ remini...

Episode 20 already! Tune in to find out why cartoon violence is actually violence, and what is going on with the 41 US state governments that are taking a certain very large tech company to court. In between, there’s a review of an action adventure movie set in 1930s Paris, read by a real live Frenchman. Update We weren’t able to find any evidence of CBACT being available in Australia … but you mi...

We’re back! It’s been a productive break for both Kim and Liz but possibly the biggest and best news is that we’re now up one some of the major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify . So listening to us just got way simpler and there’s never been a better time to subscribe, if you haven’t already, and to spread the word about the podcast. This episode starts with a discussion of an articl...

This week we get on top of the fact that phone use ain’t phone use – as some Dutch research tells us, there are different kinds, and they have different impacts on things like distraction and task completion. The movie we review is a long-awaited sequel to a Gen X cult classic, and we ask whether the US Federal Trade Commission can finally get something done about the blurring of advertising and c...

By sheer coincidence we have a review of a very British movie and a discussion of a British parliamentary inquiry - including observations on why that’s of interest elsewhere. Paper Round this episode is about gaming and ADHD (among other things) in Saudi Arabia. Kim loves an ADHD paper and we bet you will too! Plus: post a comment and just for you, Liz will hunt down the inquiry with the lame duc...

This week’s Paper Round looks at something a bit different: an article by a legal scholar, published in a psychology journal. It analyses the effectiveness of Belgian gambling regulation in preventing access to lootboxes in games - and finds it lacking. (If you don’t know what a lootbox is, listen and you’ll find out!) The movie review is of an Australian animated adventure; and the hosts chat abo...

In this week’s show, Kim and Liz discuss a paper about the factors that influence cognitive development in young children and how they could be applied in parenting decisions. And speaking of parenting, Liz holds forth about what parental responsibility means, in the context of a paper about cybersafety. In between, don’t miss the child development-based review of The Angry Birds Movie . We’d love...

An episode where we tackle the thorny issue of beneficial screen experiences … seriously though, it was great to find a paper that could kick off a conversation about this. What are the personality traits that make children susceptible to [scare quotes] sharing behaviours? And how can we encourage those? Plus the gift that keeps giving, Eddie Murphy’s 2003 classic movie Daddy Day Care, and Liz has...

This week, Liz and Kim look at a paper from University College London about the relationship between personality traits, preference for violent video games and outcomes like verbal aggression and hostility. We also hear a review of a recent remake of Lassie Come Home , and Liz interviews Jen Hoey about her work on children’s online safety, and why she named her organisation ‘Not My Kid’. Show note...

This week the hosts answer the question on every parent’s lips: when is it OK to use my phone in the car, in front of the kids? We also hear a review of the remake of a favourite old cartoon, and we try to get our brains around co-regulation of social media. (You know, co-regulation, the kind that’s better and worse than every other kind of regulation.) As always we’d love to have your feedback, s...

This is a short piece where Rys and Liz discuss strategies for parents and carers who are called on to consent to a privacy policy on behalf of their children. If you’re not already a subscriber, remember it’s free, and we’d really be delighted to welcome you to the OTS community. We’d also be delighted to have comments and feedback from anybody who listens. Get full access to Outside the Screen P...

This week we have an interview with the wonderful Rys Farthing from Reset Australia - and she’s so well-informed about children’s data, we decided to put some of the interview out as bonus content (specifically the bit where she gives her tips for when parents feel backed into a corner to consent to the collection or sharing of their children’s data). Here, you can also listen to Liz and Kim discu...

Our 10th episode! Thanks to all our subscribers for their support so far. We’ve had a few questions about how to get the pod on a listening platform - well this is how we’re celebrating number 10: getting serious about researching that. Watch this space. Meanwhile, plenty of great content in this one (if we say so ourselves), and don’t forget you can get a private RSS feel to the platform of your...

Welcome to Episode 9! Kim and Liz are having a great time putting these shows together and we really hope you’re enjoying listening. Why not post a comment? Or send us an email if you’re shy - outsidethescreenpod@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you. For this show we were delighted that Alex Basche reached out to us and offered to have a chat about Digital Detective Burnout - he has some really h...

Show notes: US paper :Sarah Coyne et al, ‘Tantrums, toddlers and technology: Temperament, media emotion regulation, and problematic media use in early childhood’ (2021) 120 Computers in Human Behavior 106762; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106762 Josh Golin and Fairplay for Kids : The open letter about Instagram for Kids ; Update about legislative developments in US ; Disordered eating report...

This week, Liz and Kim look at some research out of China about the connections between self-esteem, self-control and smart phone addiction; Patrick reads us the movie review; and we dive into some research about terms and conditions on social media sites. How long do you think it would take to read them, even if you wanted to? Show notes: Chinese paper:Qiufeng Gao et al, ‘Self-esteem and addictiv...

This week Kim and Liz look at a paper from Hungary about whether touch screen devices make a difference to preschoolers’ socio-cognitive skills; and Dr James Muecke, former Australian of the Year, shares his perspectives with Liz on vision loss, diabetes, sugar and advertising. Show notes: Hungarian paper: Veronika Konok et al, ‘Mobile use induces local attentional precedence and is associated wit...

In this episode, Kim and Liz discuss a paper from Oregon about how the rules a family sets about game use can influence children’s later behaviour; we hear Fiona reading the CMA review of the delightful Australian film Paper Planes ; and Liz fills us in on the latest statement about how the Convention on the Rights of the Child applies in the digital environment. The review mentions only one strea...

In our fourth episode, we discuss a US paper that shows not all screen time is created equal; we hear a review of the 2015 animated feature The Little Prince ; and we unpack the controversy over French coming of age film Cuties . Show notes US paper: Jean Twenge and Eric Farley, ‘Not All Screen Time is Created Equal: associations with mental health vary by activity and gender’ (2020) Social Psychi...

In our third episode, we discuss some Spanish research about cyber aggressors and their victims; we check in on another Golden Oldie movie; and we find out what Australians think about children's online privacy. Updates: The Report from the Attorney-General’s Department Review of the Privacy Act has now been released: https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/publications/privacy-act-review-rep...