By Martin McGauran
Just as the internet provides so many amazing opportunities and possibilities for our newest generation, we are becoming increasingly conscious of the challenges it presents.
To best support our kids to thrive online, it is crucial that we lean into their world through curious and open dialogue. Our kids’ online habits and interests are as diverse as they are.
I recently sat down with a group of students from St John’s Primary School in Footscray to hear about their online experiences. When asked to identify their favourite thing to do online, even within this small group of students, the answers were wide-ranging.
Whilst watching video content (anime, documentaries, sports highlights) was prominent, there were also mentions of iPad games, Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch, connecting with interstate friends and even filming and editing their own videos. When we narrowed the conversation to gaming, Roblox was the unanimous flavour of the month.
One topic we encourage all parents to keep at the forefront when discussing screen time is green time – all those things our kids do that don’t involve a screen and are so critical for growing and developing.
When the students were posed with the scenario of an afternoon without screens and they had to choose one green time activity, once again there was a diverse collection of responses: going to the park, reading a book or comic, gymnastics, netball, soccer and playing on the trampoline. The students also shared ways that they are supported to navigate this screen and green time balancing act – some used timers to help keep track of screen time, while others mentioned parental controls to help limit it.
Balancing screen time with green time is a challenge they could all identify with. One student, in particular, shared an observation that drew widespread agreement: “I find that the more you play on the screen, the harder it is to get off. So, if you play for one hour and then you have to get off, it’s not that hard. But if you play for two, it’s going to be twice as hard to get off.”
Another student recognised that having timetabled green time events, such as netball matches or training, was a helpful way to commit to something other than screens.
Contributing to the challenge of ‘getting off’ screens is a topic that the students are familiar with: addictive features built into apps and games. Each student could relate to that feeling of being pulled into the online world through mechanisms including pervasive notifications, leaderboards, autoplay features in games and video apps as well as tempting loot boxes (randomised virtual prizes).
A hugely popular game this year on Roblox is called Grow a Garden. One student spoke about the way that this particular game has been designed to reward you for playing longer and that you need to spend extended time in the game in order to see the rewards – your virtual garden expanding!
What about the young people in your life? Here are some questions to start that curious conversation:
- If you could only do one thing online each day for one hour, what would it be and why?
- Do you notice any parts of a game or app that you think are deliberately designed to keep you hooked?
Martin McGauran is the founder of Inform & Empower. They are a Footscray based organisation that partners with primary schools around Australia to deliver innovative cyber safety and digital wellbeing education.
