Most Australian children spend too much time glued to screens, research reveals

THE majority of Australian children are spending too much time glued to screens, research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has revealed.

• ‘Kindy camps’ aim to get kids off screens

THE majority of Australian children are spending too much time glued to screens research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has revealed.

The decade long study tracked 4000 preschoolers through to their early teen years and found 64 per cent of the group exceeded the daily limit of screen time recommended by the Australian Government.

The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children found that 12-13 years olds were spending up to 30 per cent of their waking day using screens, considerably more than the healthy guidelines.

Nicholas, 13, and Daniel, 9, spend up to five hours a day playing computer games, their mother says. Picture: Christopher Chan

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LSAC manager Professor Ben Edwards also highlighted the link between excessive screen time and reduced levels of enjoyment in activities and children’s physical wellbeing.

“Children who spent more time on devices reported feeling less energetic and fit,” Prof Edwards said.

“Our research suggests that if children are offered physical activities they enjoy, they will tend to reduce their screen time.”

Sanat Dickson said her two sons Nicholas, 13, and Daniel, 9, spent up to five hours a day playing computer games.

“When you include the time they spend on computers and tablets at school, it ends up being pretty much all day,” she said.

KIDS’ SCREEN TIME GUIDELINES ‘TOTALLY UNACHIEVABLE FOR PARENTS’, ACADEMICS SAY

Nicholas, 13, and Daniel, 9, spend up to five hours a day playing computer games, their mother says. Picture: Christopher Chan

The mother of two said she had also noticed the boy’s motivation to get outside and be active was considerably less when they were using screens.

Ms Dickson said it’s difficult to limit the amount of screen time as electronics devices have become a part of everyday life.

“My kids have the majority of devices — phones, iPads, Xboxes, computers in their rooms. They do use them whenever they like, but we’ve recently tried implementing a time limit on weekends,” she said.

Professor Edwards said it was important to set limits for children around electronic devices and that they weren’t used at the expense of keeping fit and well.

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