From the Principal
Dear NPS Families
Teachers are currently finalising reports and preparing to share these with you as part of the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conversations. An email was sent out this week with the link to book a conversation time with your child/rens' teachers. This is a wonderful opportunity to work alongside of teachers to support childrens' learning.
Children and the Internet
I am sure that I do not need to go on about the difficulties and complexities of children and the internet, particulary social media. We certainly see and feel the problems that arise from our current 'internet world' as this can and does often flow over to social difficulties at school.
I am currently, researching and working with the School Association to provide some timely and high evidence-based research about this area and the impact on primary age students. Below is a recent article from an expert in this area that I felt may be benefical to support you to support your children.
Please keep watch for more about this focus area.
Digital Kids
Dr Justin Coulson 2023
So much internet ink has been spilled decrying the challenges of raising digital kids. And for a host of reasons, this hand-wringing is justified and reasonable. I’ll outline many of these issues below.
But… our kids are growing up in this digital environment, and frankly, it’s pretty damn awesome in spite of those challenges I’ll describe below. The need for protection is undeniable. Concerns are not just justified; they are mounting. Yet the opportunity that we have in front of us is unparalleled. Never in history has there been so much potential for our children to build and develop amazing digital solutions that can improve our world. The digital opportunities in front of us are incredible.
In the following article you’ll discover:
- What research says about kids, screens, and wellbeing – and why we have every right to be concerned
- Why the negatives are happening
- How to turn anxiety into opportunity
- Practical solutions for every parent
My articles aren’t typically this long, but be warned… this one is longer than normal. It’s a solid 15 minute read. My hope is that you’ll find it worth it though.
Part 1: What research says about kids, screens, and wellbeing
The way we use screens in our homes and in our families has been evolving for decades – since the beginnings of television. But screens today are more present, ubiquitous, and pervasive than ever before. And there’s a huge amount of hand-wringing about how kids (and parents) today interact with their multitude of devices.
This article is about whether the hand-wringing is justified, and if it is, what we can do about it.
The “screen-time” alarm was first raised a generation ago in 1999, with the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) strongly discouraging electronic media for children under the age of two. (Prior to that, it was always our mums and grandmas who warned us that we would end up with “square eyes” if we kept on staring into those “idiot boxes” in the corner!)
In the 24 years since the AAP said kids under two should not watch screens, the official advice has remained largely unchanged, with the World Health Organization (WHO) releasing its own guidelines in 2019 also discouraging the use of screen time in children under two, and no more than one hour daily for children under the age of five. For those between 5-17, the advice is to have no more than two hours of recreational screen time daily, although less is better.
Parents stopped listening to those guidelines years ago. In fact, more than 80% of Australian children are spending more time on screens than is recommended. I argue that the guidelines are mostly irrelevant, and that we should be focused less on “how much” screen-time our kids are getting, and more on “what type”. (Screens are best used for creativity and connection rather than consumption, for example. And Jocelyn Brewer tells us to be mindful, moderate, and meaningful in the way we use our screens.) I also encourage parents to ensure that screens fit into a healthy, whole, and balanced life.
Please click on this link to read more about the impact of screens on kids at various developmental stages; Digital Kids – Happy Families
Kind regards,
Karen Monaghan| Principal