How a small town is taking kids back to the 90s and off phones
“I thought, that can’t be the norm - that you give a 12-year-old a phone for high school and full access to the internet. That’s not OK."
A childhood without the addictive glow of screens seems like an impossible task for parents in today’s modern world.
But a grassroots movement in Kiama, on NSW’s south coast, is determined to turn the daydream of an unhurried 90s childhood into a reality.
When mum Jane Bourne’s sons, aged five and seven, were younger, she constantly saw teens in parks not looking at each other but instead hunched over phones.
“I thought, that can’t be the norm - that you give a 12-year-old a phone for high school and full access to the internet. That’s not OK,” she tells Kidspot.
She dreams of her boys living their “barefoot and carefree” beach lifestyle, without the harm of social media for long as possible.
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The small town making a big change
With her partner Ian Harvey-George, the couple have founded Kiama Unplugged, an initiative aimed at reconnecting adults and kids with phone-free events.
“There’s a lot we can do to help kids stay kids… and protect their mental health and get some of our time and purpose back a bit,” she says.
Studies link social media use and worse mental health It’s well known that teens in Australia and around the world are facing a growing mental health crisis linked to smartphone and social media overuse.
A 2022 Headspace survey found 57 per cent of young people believe their mental health is getting worse, with 42 per cent citing social media as the main reason for the decline.
A Mission Australia survey found teens, aged 15 to 19, who had a higher social media use reported worse mental health, such as feeling negative about the future and lonely.
Mental health concerns have prompted the Federal Government to roll out a world-first social media ban for under 16s to shield them from cyberbullying and harmful content.
“I don’t want my kids growing up where everyone’s suffering severe mental health issues, gaming addictions and body dysmorphia,” Jane says. “I don’t want that for my children or anyone’s children.”
“We hope with more connection; there’s less mental health problems.”
Free community piano lessons
Each Sunday in Kiama, families are invited to a phone-free afternoon at Fillmores Cafe with board games, outdoor activities and art corner. Every Thursday there is a creative hour at Cin Cin Wine Bar where adults and kids can read, craft or knit.
Jane encourages locals to paint pebbles and drop them around the community and Ian has sourced a piano to be installed in Kiama Village, with a teacher volunteering time.
The response from locals at events has been overwhelming, strengthening Jane’s aim to help families disconnect.
“Many kids and families want it. Teens are stuck, they just need to know there are other like-minded people out there,” she says.
“If there’s enough of us who don’t want to do it, we can turn this around.”
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Couple set up street veggie patch and parties
Originally from England and with no family nearby, Jane and Ian, sought connections in their own cul-de-sac after moving to the coastal village 10 years ago.
They invited neighbours to ‘bring-a-plate’ street parties, built a communal veggie and herb garden in their front yard, and set up toy libraries at the beach.
“In the summer we have impromptu days where we'll pop a gazebo in the street, bring out a water slide, and the kids all play with us watching,” she says.
“We love family time at the beach, flying kites… This stuff doesn't need to be expensive or complicated, games can be borrowed from libraries … it’s great for kids to have some autonomy and not to have too much supervision - depending on the age.
“Children need to roam free and learn to take risks.”
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Kids would rather play when given the chance
Jane acknowledges parenting today is unlike any generation before with intense workloads and pressures – but everyone has forgotten how to be bored.
She has witnessed kids wanting to switch off but aren’t given the opportunity.
When her sons started Jujitsu six months ago, nearly every child waiting their turn on the mat had their face in a screen. Jane’s kids always had games and colouring-in, and each week they gained new playmates.
“Over time, kids would put down their device and ask, ‘can I play with you?’… and every week less would be on screens. Now they’re reading or playing UNO,” she says.
“I never come from a place of judgement. That might be the only peaceful 45 minutes a parent gets. I get it.
“But a lot of times parenting are chucking kids on a phone to shut them up. It’s OK for a kid to be bored. It’s OK not to be entertained all the time.”
The Kiama couple plan to share ways to help other communities set up Unplugged activities, with hopes of a widespread Unplugged Australia.
“It’s like smoking on airplanes and wearing seatbelts. We know better now,” Jane says.
“No one was handing over phones willingly knowing it would cause damage.
“We’re not saying all the internet is bad…. But we can’t let it take over our lives.
We’ve got to get some power back.”
For more inspiration on how to unplug your own community, check out Kiama Unplugged on Instagram and Facebook.
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Originally published as How a small town is taking kids back to the 90s and off phones
