Blog - 13 July 2022
There is no doubt the experiences of the last couple of years have culminated in a far greater uptake of screentime and online activities for our young people. Along with an increased amount of time tethered to a device, we have also seen greater exposure to more sites, apps and social networks at an earlier age. In an attempt to fill the voids imposed by remote learning, restrictions and lockdowns, young people turned to technology to continue to learn, remain connected, informed and entertained. No doubt schools and educators are now however, grappling with the impact of this on their students in a myriad of ways. Schools continue to deal with threats to their safety and wellbeing, their self esteem, the bullying, the sharing of inappropriate content and the fallout from online dramas that spill over into the playgrounds and classrooms. As educators, you know that much of these online activities occur at home and at all hours of the day and night, and thus it is always a challenging space to manage. But by helping young people take back some control, by encouraging them to be mindful of the impacts technology has on them and to think critically about the role technology plays in their lives, we can help reign in a little of that reliance on screens and get back some greater balance.
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For younger children it is still imperative that parents/carers are the ones making the decisions around their screentime. Both in terms of what they are doing on the screens and how much time they spend online. Young children have not developed the cognitive ability to be able to manage their time, to manage complex interactions, nor have they the understanding of what content is appropriate for them. So of course teachers can encourage parents to take a more active role in screen time at these ages but also remind younger students of the many elements they need to learn and grow and play. Many of which do not include screentime. So where possible, in the classroom,
For these younger ages therefore, the main communication needs to be around the premise that whilst the devices and screens may certainly play a role in their lives, they are just one of the many ways that young people have at their disposal to learn, to develop, to be entertained and to connect, and their safety is always a priority. If a young student has started with some solid boundaries around technology use it is a lot easier to manage the transitions and help them better regulate their behaviours themselves as they get older.
This age group has also had a huge increase in screentime due to increased time with remote learning, with many taking up some forms of messaging platforms and social media at much earlier ages due to the need to remain connected to their friends. Whilst a sense of belonging and connection was hugely important, the by-product of that is a far greater immersion in some of those social networks that happened at earlier ages and without as much guidance or teaching. Whilst it may feel for many therefore that “the horse has bolted” so to speak, and it is now hard to take back that time and access to those platforms, there are still things we can do to help those young people manage their time and online experiences.
Communication for this age group is all about the reason why we need to maintain some boundaries around screen use. Being honest around the increased role that technology played during recent times, but the need for us to reverse some of those habits now that times are changing again. Having discussions around the things technology could replace as opposed to the things it couldn't replace can be a good place to start. This helps reinforce the benefits of face to face interactions, fresh air, healthy pursuits, downtime away from the constant distractions, pings, noise and time for the mind to be left to wander, be curious and think independently and creatively.
Teenagers have also experienced greater reliance on technology as they were forced to work, learn and connect in online environments. Once again they need to be able to manage the use of technology in ways that keeps them mentally and physically well and healthy.
There is no doubt that there are some universal understandings of the digital world that we all need to nurture in order to thrive both online and off. So for all of us, we need to endeavour to focus on those backbones of good healthy development. Good sleep, nutrition, supportive and nurturing relationships, moving the body and getting out into nature. Make those things a priority and the time online will continue to be just one aspect of their daily living that is incorporated with safety, balance and wellbeing at the core.
Martine Oglethorpe is a Digital Wellbeing and Online Safety Educator, Speaker and Author. She has a background in teaching and a Master of Counselling and is a mother to 5 boys. She presents regularly to schools, parents, students and workplaces on healthy ways to navigate the digital world. She has recently released her new book The Modern Parent: Raising a Great Kid in the Digital World, available from Amazon and on her website http://www.themodernparent.net.