1
00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,960
Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families podcast. It's the podcast for the

2
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,000
Speaker 1: time poor parent who just wants answers.

3
00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,400
Speaker 2: Now, digital media and technologies do have a dual power

4
00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,080
Speaker 2: and they offer benefits and drawbacks. So it isn't about

5
00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,880
Speaker 2: saying that screams are bad. They definitely have a place

6
00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,680
Speaker 2: in our lives and certainly our children's lives.

7
00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,080
Speaker 1: And now here's the stars of our show, My mum

8
00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:27,600
Speaker 1: and dad.

9
00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:29,720
Speaker 3: Hello, this is doctor Justin Colson and the author of

10
00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,839
Speaker 3: all those books about raising happy families. Hopefully your family

11
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,840
Speaker 3: is happy. I'm here with Kylie, my wife and co host,

12
00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,920
Speaker 3: and Monto our six kids. If there's anything that's going

13
00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,480
Speaker 3: to be causing contention in most Australian homes, in fact

14
00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,320
Speaker 3: most homes around the world, it's digital stuff. And I'm

15
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,040
Speaker 3: really excited to welcome back to the podcast a researcher

16
00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,159
Speaker 3: who not only can tell us about the research, but

17
00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,479
Speaker 3: does the research herself. Doctor Amy Graham is a research

18
00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,720
Speaker 3: fellow for the Gonsky Institute for Education at the University

19
00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,120
Speaker 3: of New South Wales. Last year, around about this time,

20
00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,400
Speaker 3: Phase one of the Growing Up Digital Australia Report was completed,

21
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,440
Speaker 3: with about two thousand school teachers and principles, and we

22
00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,640
Speaker 3: had a conversation about that on episode one hundred and thirteen.

23
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,000
Speaker 3: You can go back and listen. We'll link to that

24
00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,640
Speaker 3: in the show notes, looking at teachers experiences with students'

25
00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,600
Speaker 3: tech use at school and the way technology use was

26
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,240
Speaker 3: having an impact on student's capacity to learn. Well, Amy

27
00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,720
Speaker 3: joins us again to talk about Phase two of the

28
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,959
Speaker 3: Growing Up Digital Australia Report. Amy, it's so good to

29
00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:30,040
Speaker 3: have you back on the podcast.

30
00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:32,160
Speaker 4: Thank you for inviting me back.

31
00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,920
Speaker 3: This time we're not talking about teachers experiences, we're talking

32
00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,840
Speaker 3: about what's happening in the home. You've surveyed something like

33
00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,679
Speaker 3: twenty five hundred parents and caregivers to ask them what

34
00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,520
Speaker 3: their experiences are when it comes to digital technology use.

35
00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,400
Speaker 2: Yeah. So this time we had this great snapshot and

36
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,040
Speaker 2: by accident, did it in the COVID time. So we

37
00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,120
Speaker 2: had this great snapshot into Australian homes and I guess

38
00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,040
Speaker 2: the struggles that parents and grandparents are having with managing

39
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,520
Speaker 2: this digital mindfield of young people. So we collected data

40
00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,520
Speaker 2: from two and a half thousand parents and grandparents which

41
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,560
Speaker 2: represented over five thousand kids. So it was a really

42
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:11,800
Speaker 2: nice neat snapshot into Australian homes.

43
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,800
Speaker 3: Amy, we kind of found out something that most parents

44
00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,880
Speaker 3: don't really want to own up to, but it's a reality,

45
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,840
Speaker 3: and your data showed that parents are worried about this.

46
00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,359
Speaker 3: Parents are owning up to the fact that digital devices

47
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,840
Speaker 3: have a negative impact in their own lives.

48
00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's always necessary to start by admitting

49
00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,079
Speaker 2: that we as adults struggle with those very same challenges

50
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,960
Speaker 2: caused by digital media and technology that our children are.

51
00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:41,160
Speaker 4: So parent distraction on.

52
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,880
Speaker 2: Their smartphones and other devices is becoming increasingly common and

53
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,600
Speaker 2: in our research, over ninety percent of Australian parents felt

54
00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,000
Speaker 2: that they were negatively distracted, and three and four felt

55
00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,840
Speaker 2: that this was actually growing. So in order to be

56
00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,760
Speaker 2: able to understand the power of these gadgets and how

57
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,840
Speaker 2: to regulate their own behaviors, I think parents have to

58
00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,080
Speaker 2: change first, because what we know from effective parenting and

59
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,800
Speaker 2: impactful teaching is that the power of an example is

60
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,799
Speaker 2: often the most effective way to affect change, and we

61
00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,200
Speaker 2: saw that. You know, we had over seventy percent of

62
00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,399
Speaker 2: parents recognizing that they themselves need to have the right

63
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,080
Speaker 2: habits to be able to influence their children.

64
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,359
Speaker 3: So ninety percent is a really big number of parents

65
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,520
Speaker 3: who were saying, yeah, it probably is having a negative impact,

66
00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,040
Speaker 3: and like you said, over seventy percent thinking something needs

67
00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 3: to be done about it.

68
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,560
Speaker 4: Have you got kids, yes, I have three.

69
00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,640
Speaker 3: And are you part of that seventy plus percent that

70
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,400
Speaker 3: needs to do something about your digital device usage? I

71
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,080
Speaker 3: when you're researching it, But has it permeated into your

72
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:45,640
Speaker 3: life as well?

73
00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,600
Speaker 2: Oh, I mean I think we all have, particularly during

74
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,440
Speaker 2: the COVID time. You know, we all have this different

75
00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,560
Speaker 2: view of screens. They allowed us to do our work,

76
00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,400
Speaker 2: they allowed our kids to engage in learning, they kept

77
00:03:58,440 --> 00:03:59,920
Speaker 2: us in touch with family and friends.

78
00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:01,320
Speaker 4: But I think I'm.

79
00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,680
Speaker 2: Probably more conscious of needing to show my kids explicitly

80
00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,760
Speaker 2: and intentionally how to switch off.

81
00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:08,840
Speaker 4: So I love my work. My kids know that.

82
00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,160
Speaker 2: But I can put it down at a meal time,

83
00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,640
Speaker 2: and I can put it down when things are important

84
00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,560
Speaker 2: to them. So I think, you know, I think that's

85
00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,520
Speaker 2: probably something that is missing in some homes that really

86
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,240
Speaker 2: need need to be really explicit with children about how

87
00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:24,960
Speaker 2: to switch off.

88
00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:26,479
Speaker 4: You're very good.

89
00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:27,279
Speaker 3: I'm impressed.

90
00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,320
Speaker 5: So in the survey, parents are really concerned about digital

91
00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:32,359
Speaker 5: distractions for kids.

92
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks, Kylie. I think you know we're seeing a

93
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,800
Speaker 2: younger starting age. So children as young as four are

94
00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:43,080
Speaker 2: owning a screen based device that belongs to them, and

95
00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,440
Speaker 2: the average in homes is over three devices per child, so.

96
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:48,560
Speaker 4: It's starting younger.

97
00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,839
Speaker 2: Then they're using them a lot and often at the

98
00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:56,080
Speaker 2: displacement of other activities. So parents are actually feeling that

99
00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,159
Speaker 2: their child can't spend a day without digital technology. The

100
00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,080
Speaker 2: first thing that they do when they're bored is to

101
00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,400
Speaker 2: pick up their phone, and they're concerned that it displaces

102
00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,480
Speaker 2: their opportunity to do other things like being physically active

103
00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,200
Speaker 2: or playing outside, or being creative, or spending time with others.

104
00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:15,240
Speaker 4: And then the distraction.

105
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,160
Speaker 2: Over four and five, parents felt that their child's negatively

106
00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,000
Speaker 2: distracted and that they find it harder to control their

107
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,040
Speaker 2: child's digital habits since they got that device for them.

108
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,680
Speaker 2: Then we look at impact, and parents are really concerned

109
00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:35,320
Speaker 2: that over use of digital media is negatively impacting on

110
00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,719
Speaker 2: children's physical activity and intention span and interest in playing.

111
00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,400
Speaker 2: We've got impacts on mental health. You know, thirty seven

112
00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,960
Speaker 2: percent of parents felt that their child was anxious or

113
00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,000
Speaker 2: depressed because of time online or because they tried to

114
00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,000
Speaker 2: take the phone away. And I think that age matters here,

115
00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,200
Speaker 2: and I think that we need to look at some

116
00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,400
Speaker 2: of the risks and consequences that we see often don't

117
00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,920
Speaker 2: appear to much later in childhood, that the scene set

118
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:03,560
Speaker 2: quite early.

119
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,200
Speaker 5: So parents are really stressed around control. It's it's a

120
00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,039
Speaker 5: really big thing as we talk about, you know, digital distractions.

121
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,080
Speaker 5: Is it actually doing to our kids the things that

122
00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:15,479
Speaker 5: parents are most concerned about?

123
00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:15,960
Speaker 4: Yeah?

124
00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,719
Speaker 3: Or is it just what the survey showed parents are

125
00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:19,480
Speaker 3: worrying about.

126
00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,960
Speaker 2: This is parent concerns. So this was a parent survey

127
00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,560
Speaker 2: and it was about their observations of their child and

128
00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,839
Speaker 2: also their own habits themselves.

129
00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:34,520
Speaker 3: Well, it seems like screen time and screen issues are

130
00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,320
Speaker 3: really high on the agenda and on the concern list

131
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:39,400
Speaker 3: for parents. We're going to come back in just a

132
00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,120
Speaker 3: second and ask doctor Amy Graham, a research fellow at

133
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,720
Speaker 3: the Gonski Institute for Education at the University of New

134
00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,520
Speaker 3: South Wales and one of the lead researchers on the

135
00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:51,840
Speaker 3: Growing Up Digital Australia Report, what we know about kids

136
00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:56,600
Speaker 3: using devices after bedtime and what's happening in terms of

137
00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,640
Speaker 3: the way that it impacts on their school experience.

138
00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,320
Speaker 1: It's their Happy Families podcast.

139
00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,799
Speaker 6: Are screens creating tension at home. Tweens, Teens and Screens

140
00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:11,440
Speaker 6: is a webinar to guide families to healthy, safe superscreen solutions.

141
00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,520
Speaker 6: Bye today at happy families dot com dot au slash shop.

142
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,240
Speaker 3: It's the Happy Families podcast, the podcast for the time

143
00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,080
Speaker 3: poor parent who just wants answers. Now we're talking to

144
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,840
Speaker 3: Amy Graham from the Gonsky Institute for Education at the

145
00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:26,360
Speaker 3: University of New South Wales.

146
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,280
Speaker 5: Amy, you mentioned that screen issues change based on the

147
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:31,400
Speaker 5: age of our kids.

148
00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,120
Speaker 2: I think we have to realize that some of the

149
00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,480
Speaker 2: things that we see later in childhood often the trajectory

150
00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,840
Speaker 2: set a lot earlier than that, So we have an

151
00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:44,800
Speaker 2: opportunity to intervene early and set limits. So we know

152
00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,000
Speaker 2: from the best neuroscience in the world that early childhood

153
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,480
Speaker 2: gives this opportunity for brains to learn twice as fast,

154
00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,680
Speaker 2: and that means that they're the content that children have,

155
00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,440
Speaker 2: you know, two to five years old. The content they're

156
00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,960
Speaker 2: receiving is really important. What they're accessing really matters, but

157
00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,080
Speaker 2: also the messages that they're receiving around digital usage at

158
00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,400
Speaker 2: this time and how to get a sense of balance

159
00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,840
Speaker 2: and wellness is penetrating a lot more easily than later

160
00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,200
Speaker 2: in life. So if we're introducing screens as a digital

161
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,360
Speaker 2: babysitter to let parents have a meal in peace or

162
00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,840
Speaker 2: get some time out, that sticks, that's what will be absorbed.

163
00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,480
Speaker 2: They're at primary school age, we're seeing children of five

164
00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,560
Speaker 2: to twelve years old. Schools are coming in and trying

165
00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,679
Speaker 2: to flip the script a bit and use these screens

166
00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,839
Speaker 2: for really wonderful learning purposes and accessing a whole new

167
00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,640
Speaker 2: world and experiences that otherwise kids might not be able to.

168
00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:44,960
Speaker 2: But the limits we're putting on them at this stage

169
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,360
Speaker 2: are quite arbitrary and they're meaningless to kids, so they're

170
00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,319
Speaker 2: not getting they're getting really mixed messages at this age.

171
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,640
Speaker 2: They know that they can use screens for learning, they

172
00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,680
Speaker 2: don't really have any buy into the strategies that we're

173
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,000
Speaker 2: putting on them to regulate them, and they know that

174
00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,559
Speaker 2: they have to be more creative to hide it. By

175
00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,680
Speaker 2: this age, so we heard stories about kids that were,

176
00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,400
Speaker 2: you know, taking photos of their homework and then flipping

177
00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,480
Speaker 2: the screen to be able to trick their teachers, putting

178
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,080
Speaker 2: in dummy phones to avoid the school band, and parents

179
00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,120
Speaker 2: struggling to know when their kids are actually doing homework

180
00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,160
Speaker 2: because it's all on a screen now, so.

181
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:25,960
Speaker 4: I think that they get a little bit better at

182
00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:26,559
Speaker 4: hiding it.

183
00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,880
Speaker 2: Parents are buying the first phone so they can keep

184
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,679
Speaker 2: in touch with their child on public transporter when they're

185
00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,559
Speaker 2: at school. Parents at this age are also a bit

186
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,120
Speaker 2: prone to not wanting to say no, not wanting their

187
00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,600
Speaker 2: kids to miss out. So there are a whole range

188
00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,400
Speaker 2: of factors that go into that primary school age, and

189
00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,560
Speaker 2: I guess the strategies you need to use at different stages.

190
00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,000
Speaker 2: Then finally, by adolescents, the trajectory is pretty well set

191
00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,200
Speaker 2: and this is often where the cracks start to appear.

192
00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,440
Speaker 2: So we see sometimes in you know, entire groups of

193
00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,960
Speaker 2: young people on their phones and they take them everywhere,

194
00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,520
Speaker 2: the habits formed, the distractions there, and they have very

195
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:09,320
Speaker 2: little respite. They're sleeping with them. We're seeing declining mental

196
00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:14,720
Speaker 2: health and social relationships fracturing at that stage, more fragile

197
00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:19,559
Speaker 2: self esteem and unwillingness to do other activities, and often

198
00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:22,880
Speaker 2: this is where parents become really concerned. But it's a

199
00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,040
Speaker 2: little bit too late. We need to get in much

200
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,920
Speaker 2: earlier and teach those skills of self regulation and monitoring

201
00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:30,000
Speaker 2: at a younger age.

202
00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,440
Speaker 3: Amy something that the report found, and it's kind of

203
00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:35,760
Speaker 3: crushing to say it. I don't want to say it,

204
00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,000
Speaker 3: but the report showed that there are issues around financial

205
00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,760
Speaker 3: and socio economic circumstances. Specifically, children who come from families

206
00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:47,120
Speaker 3: where there is a lower income are more likely to

207
00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:51,040
Speaker 3: have parents who have fewer concerns about digital devices and

208
00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,760
Speaker 3: fewer rules, and are therefore more likely to be dealing

209
00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,120
Speaker 3: with some more of the challenges that we've described.

210
00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,640
Speaker 2: Yes, and I am really cautious in conveying these findings

211
00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,559
Speaker 2: with sensitivity, because I know that there are some very

212
00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,120
Speaker 2: real challenges facing some families, and the last thing I

213
00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,360
Speaker 2: would want to induce is any feeling of guilt or

214
00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,640
Speaker 2: shame around what their kids are doing on gadgets when

215
00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,760
Speaker 2: they're trying to put food on the table. But the

216
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,640
Speaker 2: data did show that fewer parents in living in poverty

217
00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,320
Speaker 2: or of low income have the tools that they need

218
00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:28,040
Speaker 2: to set and consistently reinforce effective limits. So these kids

219
00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,359
Speaker 2: are sleeping with their phones, more, they are struggling educationally.

220
00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,400
Speaker 2: They are more likely to be anxious or depressed because

221
00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,920
Speaker 2: of being online or because they weren't allowed to use

222
00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:42,240
Speaker 2: their devices. And then this is exacerbated by those parents

223
00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:44,840
Speaker 2: that didn't see the need to be a positive role

224
00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:50,360
Speaker 2: model as much and implement those effective regulation strategies. They

225
00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,920
Speaker 2: also felt that it was they had less of an influence,

226
00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,520
Speaker 2: so that when we looked at family income, that actually

227
00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:02,199
Speaker 2: decreased linearly, suggesting that those more well resourced parents actually

228
00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,800
Speaker 2: do have a greater awareness of their position as a

229
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,560
Speaker 2: role model. And I think for a long time we've

230
00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:10,520
Speaker 2: thought of the digital divide as the difference between the

231
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,240
Speaker 2: have and have not in terms of access, but that's

232
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,160
Speaker 2: actually being overcome and parents who provided their child with

233
00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,480
Speaker 2: a mobile phone was actually highest in the lowest income bracket.

234
00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,440
Speaker 2: So the access issue isn't the greatest digital divide. It's

235
00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,520
Speaker 2: actually the teaching of the strategies and habits. And I

236
00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:36,839
Speaker 2: think that we can't just accept this as reality. We

237
00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,800
Speaker 2: need to try and help these families, especially in trying

238
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:46,719
Speaker 2: to reconceptualize screens less as a digital babysitter, less as

239
00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,240
Speaker 2: a way to pass the time, and more as a

240
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:55,280
Speaker 2: learning tool and something to be used with caution and

241
00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:56,880
Speaker 2: to be used with regulation.

242
00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,280
Speaker 5: I mean, this has been a really good conversation. I'm

243
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,160
Speaker 5: wondering if you could tell us what would be your

244
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,880
Speaker 5: take home message from the Growing Up Digital Australia Report.

245
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,760
Speaker 2: I think my key take home message would be that

246
00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,480
Speaker 2: digital media and technologies do have a dual power and

247
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,200
Speaker 2: they offer benefits and drawbacks. So it isn't about saying

248
00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:20,000
Speaker 2: that screens are bad. They definitely have a place in

249
00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,440
Speaker 2: our lives, insertainly our children's lives. But I think the

250
00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,920
Speaker 2: missing piece of the puzzle is this need to teach

251
00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,280
Speaker 2: self regulation and we need to be much more explicit

252
00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,160
Speaker 2: in teaching about the risks and negative impacts when these

253
00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,040
Speaker 2: are overused or used in problematic or habit forming ways.

254
00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:41,920
Speaker 2: We do this when we teach about smoking the need

255
00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,880
Speaker 2: to wear a seat belt, and we teach them that

256
00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:49,400
Speaker 2: they're un natural and preventable consequences. And I think that

257
00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,719
Speaker 2: we need to teach our children how to live their

258
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,400
Speaker 2: life in ways that feel good and the importance of

259
00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,160
Speaker 2: getting things like sleep and getting outside and having a

260
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,480
Speaker 2: balance in each day. But we can't do that by

261
00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,520
Speaker 2: a one size fits all solution, So I think much

262
00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,000
Speaker 2: broader conversation. Start a conversation with your kids, get into

263
00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:13,800
Speaker 2: their world, and keep in mind that what's harmful for

264
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:15,920
Speaker 2: some is helpful for others.

265
00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,720
Speaker 4: So not all children will be impacted in the.

266
00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,640
Speaker 2: Same ways, but we really do need as parents to

267
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,760
Speaker 2: own responsibility, say no sometimes and set some limits.

268
00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,240
Speaker 3: Well, there's just so much for parents to worry about,

269
00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,680
Speaker 3: and the Growing Up Digital Australia Report, while it's got

270
00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,680
Speaker 3: some good news and definitely some signs of awareness, also

271
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,560
Speaker 3: some things to really challenge us and provoke us to

272
00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,320
Speaker 3: be better. Doctor Amy Grant, from the Gonsky Institute for

273
00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,600
Speaker 3: Education at the University of New South Wales, thanks for

274
00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:45,280
Speaker 3: your time today.

275
00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,360
Speaker 4: Thank you so much for inviting me back.

276
00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,040
Speaker 3: Really really important conversation. You can hear our first conversation

277
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,320
Speaker 3: with Amy on episode one hundred and thirteen, and of

278
00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:54,240
Speaker 3: course you've just heard the one that we've had now

279
00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:58,160
Speaker 3: about how parents are struggling with the screen and digital

280
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,200
Speaker 3: issues that so many device bring with them. We really

281
00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:03,440
Speaker 3: hope that you've enjoyed the podcast, as produced by Justin

282
00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:07,000
Speaker 3: Ruland from Bridge Media. Craig Bruce is our executive producer.

283
00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:08,960
Speaker 3: If you'd like more info about how to make your

284
00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,600
Speaker 3: family happier, as specifically how you can manage the screen

285
00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,200
Speaker 3: issues in your home, you might want to check out

286
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,360
Speaker 3: the Happy Families membership. We've got a couple of great

287
00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:20,760
Speaker 3: webinars in there that are yours as part of the membership,

288
00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:25,440
Speaker 3: all about managing and defining the best ways to deal

289
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:27,760
Speaker 3: with devices at home. You can get all the information

290
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,680
Speaker 3: about the Happy Families membership at happy families dot com

291
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:31,200
Speaker 3: dot au