{"id":29172,"date":"2023-03-10T04:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T04:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/?p=29172"},"modified":"2023-05-31T01:59:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T01:59:10","slug":"screen-time-how-much-is-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/screen-time-how-much-is-healthy","title":{"rendered":"Screen Time\u2014How Much Is Healthy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The issue of screen time for Australian schoolchildren is one that many people have strong opinions on<\/span>, and for good reason\u2014studies have pointed to <\/span>excessive screentime contributing to physical, social, and developmental issues<\/span>.<\/span> From this, <\/span>it may seem easy to draw the conclusion that screen time should be limited<\/span>;<\/span> but<\/span> unfortunately,<\/span> things aren\u2019t so black and white<\/span>, as technology becomes central to the classroom and screen time takes <\/span>different forms.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Screen time statistics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Covid-19 sped up a process of incorporating technology into work and education, meaning that the amount of time spent looking at screens increased. According to a study by Deakin University, lockdowns in 2020 meant that students were, on average, using devices for an extra 27 hours per week. Although most students have gone back to face-to-face learning, in-class devices are still being incorporated into certain activities, both for the sake of convenience and richer learning, while out-of-school device use has also remained elevated.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This forms part of the wider picture of device use\u2014a 2021 article from Australia\u2019s Tech Guide website claims that the average Australian spends 5.5 hours a day on their smartphone; however, this figure is based on the entire cross-section of society, including the silent generation. For millennials and generation Z, <\/span>average screen time per day<\/span> is even higher, averaging above 7 hours.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Positives associated with screen use<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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While screen time is often talked about in a negative way, we should be mindful that technology allows us to <\/span>achieve things that were unthinkable a couple of generations ago. We can <\/span>engage in different communities<\/span> with people <\/span>from around the world<\/span>, <\/span>set up systems to automate simple tasks for us, and learn<\/span> new<\/span> things using a range of interactive <\/span>materials.<\/span> With smartphones, we can harness the power of complex applications at pretty much any time of day or night, no matter where we are.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Risks associated with screen use<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Despite the positives, it is undeniable that different risks have increased in-step with the growth in <\/span>average screen time<\/span>. These risks include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>