An international study by Deakin University found that parents in Australia, China and Britain had become the most lenient on device use after those countries endured long periods of lockdowns.Australians were found to be more laidback about this when compared to parents in China, who gave their kids stricter limits and rules.Research fellow at Deakin’s School of Education Andy Zhao said screen use had jumped everywhere post-Covid, exacerbating parents’ concerns about kids potentially being exposed to explicit content.“What we found in countries like Australia, particularly in Melbourne, is families became reliant on digital screen technologies to cope with extended lockdowns,” he said. “They used them for home schooling, entertainment, to connect with family and friends, and to stave off boredom. Dr Zhao said parents had realised they probably wouldn’t be able to go back to pre-pandemic normality with screen time. “Many families have expressed a desire to return to pre-pandemic levels of screentime but don’t know how, or if it might happen at all.,” he said.“They also reported feeling a strong sense of anxiety and guilt about their child’s increased use of digital screen technologies.” The study found that some families had achieved a smooth transition with screen use post-lockdown – but this was dependent on them being flexible in their approach.Co-researcher Sarah Healy said this could help avoid technology-related tantrums.Ringwood North mother of two Bree Britt said her sons Emmett, 6, and Makalo, 9, had been limited to half an hour on their iPads before lockdowns, but now had to be pulled away from their screens. “I now find that they go into a zombie state, like they are unaware of what’s going on around them and they are really not happy to get off their devices,” she said. “Post-lockdown, it’s been hard, because they are too young to understand that they can have social time away from an iPad. “They don’t seem to be able to regulate emotions too well when they’ve spent a lot of time on screens.”The Australasian Society for Physical Activity found physical activity plummeted 70 per cent during lockdowns. A study by the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child found that preschool kids who watched less TV developed better social and emotional skills.
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