NSW Labor Commits to $2.5 Million Research Fund to Address Problematic Screen and Phone Use Among Children
The Centre for Digital Wellbeing has welcomed the announcement by Chris Minns MP, the NSW Opposition Leader, to commit to tackling problematic screen and phone use among children and young people. If elected, NSW Labor has committed to a $2.5 million research fund to expand the understanding and impact of excessive screen, phone, and gaming use on young people’s health, wellbeing, and learning.
Screen and phone dependence among Australians is on the rise. A recent study conducted by Monash University shows that a staggering 99.2% of users fear not having their phone with them. For more than 10%, that fear is considered severe and linked to dangerous use. There is concern that the majority of Australian children are heading in the same direction, with 83-77% of pre-schoolers and 85% of children aged 5 to 12 already spending more than the recommended time on screens.
Ms Carla Wilshire OAM from the Centre for Digital Wellbeing is a strong advocate for further research into young people’s excessive screen time and mobile phone use. She said, “The announcement to fund research into problematic screen use comes at a really important time. Phone, screen, and gaming time are on the rise among children in Australia, yet we don’t fully know the potential impacts.”
Early research is already hinting at a range of health and developmental issues among children. Problematic device usage has been associated with negative impacts in areas such as weight, motor and cognitive development, and social and psychological wellbeing. Similarly, problematic video gaming behaviours can severely impact children and young people. Currently, 1-3% of people worldwide are gaming excessively and are impacted by Internet Gaming Disorder. Studies have associated Internet Gaming Disorder with lower psychosocial wellbeing and impaired functioning.
The time children spent on their phones, playing games, and watching TV has been reported by parents as their top health concern. Anecdotally, parents have been struggling to navigate device usage and gaming in the home and are in need of advice on how to encourage healthy habits. Ms Wilshire said, “It is really important to invest in supporting children and their parents now to prevent this spiralling into a life-long issue.”
She concluded, “This commitment to funding will mean we can better understand the issues related to problematic screen use and therefore develop targeted policy solutions to help the children, families and communities that are most affected.”
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The New South Wales (NSW) Labor party has committed to creating a $2.5 million research fund to address the issue of problematic screen & phone use among #children, as well as to develop strategies to reduce its negative impacts. #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/TqcQBB5LVo
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