BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JULY 27, 2022

Anyone who can remember a time before the internet (or even before Instagram!), will know that a lot has changed since the web revolutionised our world.  

We now earn, learn and socialise in totally tech-savvy ways, and our school-aged kids are digital natives, born and raised with their finger on the pulse of online content and hand-held technology. 

This presents a parenting conundrum, because although we know it’s not healthy for our kids to be glued to devices 24/7, digital technology is an integral part of modern childhood. 

The government helps us out by recommending no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day for ages five to 17 – not including the screen time needed for schoolwork. 

However, screen time is more than just a numbers game… 

And if you’re sick of policing screen time hours (down to the last second), or just want to find a healthy balance between device and life, then we’ve got good news! 

Some parenting experts are suggesting that it’s time to shift the focus from family rules to family needs to ensure digital health at home, and today, Daniel Donahoo is getting us up to speed on what this means in practice.  

Daniel is an author, digital innovation advisor, and creative producer and director at Project Synthesis.  

He’s developed lots of safe, engaging digital experiences for families and schools, and is also busy raising his three kids to engage with technology in positive and dynamic ways.  

With all that professional and parental experience under his belt, Daniel says it is important to check whether technology is a problem for your family. 

However, instead of measuring your family’s digital health against formulaic screen time hours, he’s advocating for an individualised approach. 

Daniel says, “Different families will have different ways of establishing whether digital technology is having more of a negative, than positive, impact on family life,” and it’s better to look at your family dynamic and behaviours, than try (and often fail!) to constantly tally up screen time.  

To check your family’s digital health, Daniel suggests that you simply ask these three questions: 

1. Is technology stopping us from doing things as a family that we enjoy? 

2. Are we putting time with technology always in front of time with each other? 

3. Are we arguing and having too many disagreements and arguments about technology? 

He says, “If you are saying ‘Yes’ to one or more of these questions, then maybe you need to have a conversation about how to make a change.” 

If technology is a problem for your family, or you just want to make sure it doesn’t become one, it is important to be switched on as a parent. 

What you say and do has a real influence on how technology is used and appreciated at home, and to make digital technology a positive force in family life, Daniel suggests you do the following: 

• Talk regularly about tech. This means talking to your child about your expectations and how they use technology. Daniel says, “This may be hard or awkward – and if it is, you are doing it right!”   

It’s also important not to pin all your pointers to one big conversation, thinking you’ve covered everything forever. Instead, Daniel encourages you to, “Have many small chats about technology, frequently.”  
 

• Set boundaries. Daniel explains that, “Parenting is about creating space for children to take risks and grow into,” and when it comes to tech, you need to set boundaries that allow for independent exploration, while keeping your child safe and digitally ‘well.’ 

 
He says setting boundaries, like no devices in bedrooms, everyone having to put their devices away at a certain time, and a family technology plan, are all great ways to help you do this. 
 

• Play with your child. Having fun together provides an opportunity to guide your child’s healthy relationship with technology and other aspects of life. 

 
Daniel encourages you to, “Play videogames with your child, play outside with your them, take them to sport, go for walks, watch good TV, and so on, because all of this shows that you’re taking an interest in spending time, and guiding, your child to a balanced life in our digitally-saturated world.” 

 

The above strategies will all help to ensure your family’s digital health, and Raising Children Network is a great source of information, too. 

This suite of articles explains practical ways to balance play, media and technology if you have a primary school-aged child, and this Digital Health Webinar (presented by Daniel Donahoo and designed by the Parenting Research Centre and other experts) is a great use of your screen time, too. 

It’s also worth considering how technology fits into your child’s schooling and outside school hours care (OSHC).  

You can always talk to your kiddo’s teacher if you’re concerned, or excited, about any tech use, and at OSHC, Daniel says there are lots of ways for educators to positively incorporate screens into the before and after school, and vacation care, program. 

For instance, he says OSHC services might: 

• Set up an eSports tournament on consoles or computers and get children to play in teams against each other 
• Set photo challenges, allowing kids to use mobile devices to zoom in, pan out and take creative pics, and 
• Let children put together playlists, using a digital music service like Spotify, to give them some ownership of the OSHC environment. 

 

All in all, it’s good to realise that screen time isn’t a negative thing per se.  

It opens up a world of possibility, and it’s the responsibility of us parents, and other care-givers, to guide healthy online experiences and positively tap into our kids’ natural interest in all things tech.