As screen time becomes more embedded, anxieties about the long-term health impacts of this prolonged usage are starting to emerge | MsEmmaK
Screens weren’t a big part of Hilary Brainard’s household before the pandemic - she doesn’t even have a television - but these days she and her seven-year-old daughter spend their days hopping between Zoom calls and Google meetings.
Hilary Brainard, her daughter Emerson and dog Teddy have been living and working through screens during Sydney’s lockdown.There’s time spent using Google slides for school presentations, plus hours of Zoom assemblies and classes. And while Brainard is finishing her work day, her daughter is logging in to about six hours of after school programs each week, focusing on everything from ancient world studies to Mandarin.
Chief executive of ASX-listed cyber-security company Family Zone, Tim Levy, says concerns about excessive technology use during the pandemic were exacerbated by the fact that the Australian schools system was not adequately prepared for remote learning last year.Many schools stop families from installing their own parental control software on school devices, creating concerns about how kids might be using their screens during school time.
Family Zone sells products to both schools and family homes, including tools to help manage time limits on gaming and internet use. Shares in the company are up almost 60 per cent over the past year. “When we talk to schools today, we start early, trying to create boundaries and safe behaviours for young kids.”
Despite that challenge, the breadth of digital activities available has been a welcome feature, according to Brainard, with everything from personal finance classes to science experiments available online.
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