Growing up digital

When it comes to screen time, parents and carers must navigate an emotionally charged landscape of conflicting advice and information. For a long time, parenting advice around children and technology focused on policing screen time. Fortunately, this is beginning to change and some guidelines now acknowledge that a ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t allow for the complexity and diversity of fami...

The COVID-19 lockdowns had lasting effects on families and children around the world. Families had to suddenly navigate education, entertainment, and social relationships within the confines of their home. Digital technology became essential to supporting these needs, and while it was a lifeline for many families, parents are now struggling to recontextualise digital tools for use outside of lockd...

As digital technology use becomes common place in the daily lives of young children, education on good digital citizenship is critical in the early years of their education. Michael Dezuanni discusses how educators and schools can use digital citizenship to empower young children and help them be safe online.

Video games have been a popular hobby for young children since electronic games became mainstream in the 1970s. Questions around how gameplay affects children’s health and wellbeing have always been a point of debate among parents, health professionals, policymakers and scholars. Decades of research have explored possible links between video games and health and wellbeing outcomes, and as gameplay...

If you’re a parent or carer of young children, there’s a chance you’ve felt the occasional pang of guilt letting your children use tablets and other devices before bedtime. But how worried should we be about screen time and sleep? Does technology negatively impact children’s sleep and what can you as a parent do given the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world? Sonia White interviews Jane...

Every now and then, a new toy comes onto the market that stirs up controversy and debate among parents. An Australian supermarket chain released a new range of wooden toys, including a vlogger play set , and it’s raised questions about how children should be growing up in a digital world.  Tama Leaver interviews Amanda Levido for the Digital Child podcast, Growing up digital.