Wellbeing Matters
Digital Wellbeing
On Tuesday evening this week, Dr Kristy Goodwin joined us to speak with parents and our community about digital wellbeing. There is no turning back the tide of technology in our lives and in the lives of our young people. Technology such as mobile phones, laptops and other digital devices are embedded into our digital economy as tools of commerce, trade and commercial networking. For our young people, they are tools of choice for communication, fact-finding, and, increasingly, the vehicle through which relationships and identities are formed, social and emotional skills are built, and friendships are constructed. Technology is also now instructional and an instrument of learning. Powerful indeed …
We are living in a time of great cultural change. Instead of fighting this tide, we as parents and educators need to work to support children and young people in the digital space and equip them with the tools and skills to navigate their online world. The digital health of our children is a new paradigm for parents to contend with, however, it does not have to be an area fraught with fear. Parenting in the digital age makes for a calmer household when we know the tools that are available and how to work with these tools, rather than against them.
I know that even in my household with three children, the pain is real when it comes to digital use. Early on, when the children were little, we set very clear rules around device use which has been very helpful in setting boundaries and expectations that our older children follow well today.
The Raising Children Network shares the following helpful tips for parents:
- High school is an appropriate time for young people to have a mobile device such as a mobile phone.
- Turn mobile devices off at least one hour before bedtime.
- Use a good quality safety filter on your children’s mobile devices.
- Mobile devices should not be in your child’s bedroom at night-time.
- Social media should be closely monitored by parents (know your child’s passwords and access codes).
- Set-up time limits on your children’s devices.
Dr Goodwin has provided some wonderful advice for parents who want to manage screen time and devices for their children, which is equally useful for adults! You can find these here: https://programs.drkristygoodwin.com/resources-optin/. The link to watch a recording of the Seminar will be shared on Lampada shortly.
A big thank you to the Shore Parents’ Association for hosting this event.
Please don’t forget that there are several resources for Shore families on Shore SchoolTV and this information can be found here: https://shore.nsw.schooltv.me/category-latest-newsletter
