Expert calls on parents to put down phones and give children more green time than screen time

WITH statistics showing just one in five children get sufficient exercise in north Sydney, parents are being warned families need to “unplug” at least once a week to do something old school.

Dr Kristy Goodwin is a digital parenting expert, with her son Tash 5. Picture: Annika Enderborg.

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PARENTS need to spend less time on their mobile devices and more time giving their kids ‘green time’, says a digital parenting expert.

Dr Kristy Goodwin, based in North Manly, said people’s digital use had changed massively over the past few years.

“Parents need to check themselves, as well as their children,” said the mum-of-two, who admitted she was not immune to the digital trend either.

“We need to make sure our kids are getting a balance between green time and screen time.”

Dr Goodwin’s warning follows a report into our health in North Sydney, which found one in three children aged five to 15 have a sedentary life.

Northern Sydney PHN, which collated the latest statistics, also found just one in five children get sufficient exercise in the region, which includes the peninsula, as well as Mosman, North Sydney, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Willoughby and Hornsby.

Parents and children should have less screen time. Picture: iStock

Dr Goodwin said children needed seven basic needs in a 24-hour period, including sleep, play, language, building relationships, nutrition, physical movement and executive function, which was crucial for learning and development.

“Kids used to get a lot of incidental exercise and play, but now their time is being sucked away on screens,” she said.

“We need to protect the sanctuary of childhood,” she said.

Dr Goodwin is supporting Kinderling Kids Radio’s Screen Free Challenge: Helping families Unplug and Play.

It’s encouraging families to unplug just once a week to help forge family moments the good old-fashioned way, like bike riding, kicking a ball, cooking, arts and crafts or simply playing a game of eye spy.

For suggestions tune into Kinderling Kids Radio.

Parents are encouraged to share their family time images with the hashtag #ScreenFreeChallenge.