A whole generation of Australians has grown up in a world where almost everyone has a smartphone or tablet and parents are growing worried.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week lent his voice to those fears, telling an Australian Christian Churches national conference that social media had to be called out because it was “going to take our young people” and “could be used by the Evil One”.
Not all parents would use Mr Morrison’s religious language but he is not alone in his concern about what the new digital age means for youth.
A new study of parental attitudes, Growing up Digital, by the UNSW Gonski Institute of Education found that 83 per cent of carers, parents and grandparents thought their children were negatively distracted by their devices.
Parents are worried that being on a screen stops their children doing other activities, such as being physically active and playing outside, being creative or spending time connecting with friends or family. Many are concerned about the dangers of cyber-bullying and the effect of social media on their children’s mental and physical health.
Over the family dinner table, the most common argument is increasingly about use of mobile phones. Three-quarters of parents say it is hard to control their children’s use of their digital devices and two-thirds say the topic is a source of conflict in the home. Teachers are saying the same things about behaviour in classrooms.
While the digital world is not without its dangers and challenges, the Herald warns parents against demonising smartphones or social media.
The more extreme fears about the impact of the digital world on the current generation of children will likely sound as outdated in a few decades as when their great-grandparents inveighed against the evils of television or rock’n’roll music.
Many previously sceptical parents have seen the positive human value of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic because it allowed their children to connect with friends and family through lockdowns and social distancing. Children could keep up their education remotely. Social media was a lifeline for parents, too.
Rather than railing against the digital world, parents need to think of strategies to help their children get the best from their devices.