Screen time, emotions and readiness to learn - a message for parents & carers

This week’s blog is for your parents, carers, and broader community.

It will come as no surprise that the evidence suggests that excessive screen time has a negative impact on emotions and readiness to learn. Therefore, it is a good idea to reduce excessive screen time.

How much screen time is excessive?

A good place to start is the Australian Government guidelines for screen time, 24-hour movement guidelines. The guidelines recommend:

• No screen time for children younger than two years
• No more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2-5 years
• No more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day for children and young people aged 5-17 years (not including school work)

Any amount of screen time above the guideline recommendations is excessive.

It is also important to note that even though this is the recommended average, it does not mean that hours can be stored up and used in one go e.g. There is no screen time Monday to Friday so we can have 14 hours over Saturday and Sunday.

Over two hours on any one day is excessive.

Screen time in the guidelines excludes schoolwork. Screen time is defined as sedentary recreational screen time, where children are sitting or laying down to watch video, scrolling social media, or playing games.

The Australian Institute of Family studies estimates that only 15% of 5–12-year-olds meet the screen time guidelines, and that the amount of screen time increases dramatically between the ages of 10 -14. In fact, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that there is a rise in the percentage of students spending more than 20 hours a week on a screen.

What happens if children have an excessive amount of screen time?

We are still in the early stages of studying the impacts of screen time on children, but the early indicators of the research strongly suggest that excessive screen time can contribute directly to:

• Increased impulsive behaviour, anger, and aggression
• sensory overload that causes poor focus, inattention, and depleted mental energy
• Overstimulation that causes children to have difficulty in managing stress and regulating their mood

Evidence also suggests that excessive screen time contributes indirectly to:

• Obesity and poor physical health
• Poor quality sleep and a lack of sleep
• Reduced imagination and creativity

It should be noted that these are the potential outcomes of excessive screen time regardless of what they are doing on the screen. The symptoms and consequences amplify dramatically when you include the impact and risks of social media, exposure to mature content and violence.

What can we do to reduce screen time?

1. There is a strong relationship between parents’ screen time and that of their children. So, model separating yourself from the screen.
2. Limit or eliminate screen time at certain times of the day. 2 great areas to target are:
   • the time immediately before bed, aim for more than an hour screen free time before sleep.
   • before school
3. Discuss rules with other parents. It is much easier if all children in the friendship group have the same rules around content and access.
4. Set healthy habits as criteria for accessing screens. For example, exchange 30 minutes of reading for 30 minutes of screen time.
5. Utilise parent controls and time limits. Most adults have difficulty moderating their screen time, it is unreasonable to expect students to do this effectively without support. Help them develop self-regulation strategies.
6. Co-participate in their screen time, know what they are doing online and break up the consumption with discussion and human connection.

These strategies are just a few of many, and screen time is just one of many topics that are critical for supporting students regulate their emotions and come to school ready to learn. For more information I strongly recommend the support available from the Australian Government esafety commissioner; link to more support.

[ Rydr Tracy is the Head of Education at Life Skills Group and former Director Strategic Priorities at CESE. He is a specialist in evidence-informed practice in educational innovation, with a career focus on strategic change that improves student outcomes. He draws on a rare blend of successful experience in schools, system leadership roles and industry practice – experience that has given him deep understanding of the complexities of the education sector from the classroom to the boardroom and a demonstrated capacity to generate practical recommendations that are grounded in context and evidence. ]