Device dependency among young in lockdown hard habit to break
Restrictions may have lifted as Australia moves into the post-pandemic phase, but the legacy of lockdown lingers as parents struggle to coax children off screens or return to pre-Covid limits
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Aussie parents are struggling to get their children to spend less time glued to their screens because of habits formed during the pandemic, according to new research.
An international study by Deakin University found that parents in Australia, China and Britain had become the most lenient* on device use after those countries endured* long periods of lockdowns.
And Australians were found to be more laid-back about screen time compared to parents in China, who gave their kids stricter limits and rules.
Deakin’s School of Education research fellow Dr Andy Zhao said screen use had jumped everywhere post-Covid, increasing parents’ concerns about kids potentially being exposed to inappropriate content.
“What we found in countries like Australia, particularly in Melbourne, is families became reliant on digital screen technologies to cope with extended lockdowns,” he said.
“They used them for homeschooling, entertainment, to connect with family and friends, and to stave off* boredom.”
Dr Zhao said parents had realised they probably wouldn’t be able to go back to pre-pandemic normality with screen time.
“Many families have expressed a desire to return to pre-pandemic levels of screen time but don’t know how, or if it might happen at all.,” he said.
“They also reported feeling a strong sense of anxiety and guilt about their child’s increased use of digital screen technologies.”
The study found that some families had achieved a smooth transition with screen use post-lockdown – but this was dependent on their having a flexible approach.
Co-researcher Dr Sarah Healy said flexibility could help avoid technology-related tantrums.
Melbourne mother of two Bree Britt said her sons Emmett, 6, and Makalo, 9, had been limited to half an hour on their iPads before lockdowns, but now had to be pulled away from their screens.
“I now find that they go into a zombie state, like they are unaware of what’s going on around them and they are really not happy to get off their devices,” she said.
“Post-lockdown, it’s been hard, because they are too young to understand that they can have social time away from an iPad.
“They don’t seem to be able to regulate* emotions too well when they’ve spent a lot of time on screens.”
The Australasian Society for Physical Activity found physical activity plummeted* 70 per cent during lockdowns. A study by the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child found that preschool kids who watched less TV developed better social and emotional skills.
GLOSSARY
- lenient: forgiving, tolerant, not as severe or strong in punishment or judgment as expected
- endured: experienced, underwent, lived through, survived
- stave: to stop something bad from happening
- regulate: to be able to control something, like our moods, reactions and behaviours
- plummeted: plunged, fell very quickly and suddenly
EXTRA READING
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Two hours of screen time hurts health
QUICK QUIZ
- Parents in which three countries have become the most lenient on device use?
- Parents in which country imposed stricter limits and rules than those in Australia?
- A smooth transition to post-pandemic screen use was found to be dependent on what?
- Physical activity in Australia plummeted by what percentage during lockdowns?
- The Australian Research Council’s Centre for Excellence found preschool kids who watched less TV developed what?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Screen time timetable
After reading the Kids News article, and seeing some of the issues facing parents in Australia regarding screen time, write your own weekly timetable for regulating your own screen time. Think about your weekly commitments and what you think is a fair amount of time to be on devices or watching television. Also make sure you are balancing out your time with enough physical activity and exercise.
You may like to present your proposal to your parents and see if they think it’s reasonable too.
Draw up a six-column table. To create your weekly timetable, write the days of the week down the left hand-side column. Along the top of each of the remaining four columns, write the hour of the evening from 3-4pm, 4-5pm, 5-6pm, 6-7pm and 7-8pm and fill in the corresponding screen allowance at what time on what day.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Digital Technologies; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Study co-researcher Dr Sarah Healy states that “flexibility could help avoid technology-related tantrums” in reducing children’s screen time. What do you think this flexibility could look like? How would you suggest being flexible in trying to reduce the amount a child spends on devices?
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Digital Technologies; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.