The home-schooling has barely begun, and already the supervision of students and their technology has been giving parents headaches. So much for screen-time limits.
Senior lecturer in technology education at the University of New England, Rachael Adlington, has been guiding her own 9- and 14-year-old children at home; she provides a little perspective.
Part 2: Cut yourself some slack
"At this moment in time, many parents are managing the competing demands of child wrangling, house management and work. We're struggling to find enough hours in the day to do the things we need to.
“Most schools are issuing protocols or advice on the amount of screen-time that's recommended for students; they're encouraging them to take breaks and to change activities across the course of the school day. Before COVID-19, teachers were already scheduling screen-based activities, but the difference now is that parents are finding out how much, and in some cases more content is now being accessed online.
“When it comes to leisure screen-time outside school hours, the key is to follow the established advice (e.g., https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/screen-time-and-children [https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/screen-time-and-children]), which will depend on the age of your child. I've stuck to our normal screen-time rules in our home. I think if you start to try to restrict screen leisure time because of the extra school-based screen-time, it can be a recipe for disaster and potentially discourage students from spending the required amount of screen-time on school work.
“So, our kids engage in screen-time during the school day, as directed by their teachers, to complete their school work. Then they can still have a couple of hours' screen leisure time after school.
We have to remember that most of the other stuff they used to do outside school has disappeared, and socialising with their friends can only be done through phones and computers.
“While this sounds like lots of screen-time, the focus should be on the amount of time being spent in sedentary pursuits overall. Being sedentary is also a problem when children sit at desks with text books for a long time, and it's not conducive to learning. This is why teachers mix activities up throughout the school day.
“From what I have seen, as schools have rolled out online delivery, teachers have included active learning experiences that involve time away from the computer. Short breaks that encourage movement are great, like students doing 20 star jumps, or going outside and finding five things of different colours. Our high school includes four hours of academic time, one hour of very active time, an hour of creative time (likely reasonably active and away from screens), as well as an hour of break time (recommended outside) during the school day. I think this is a nice balance and helps to mitigate against physiological issues associated with screen-time, such as impacts on eye health and sleep.
“While households get sorted and into their new routines, it's OK for parents to use screens as something of a babysitter. But, after that, it's important to avoid 'screen creep'. Our children need help to become autonomous and self-regulating. Children are not born with these skills, and we need to support development of these skills as children grow.
“There will be negotiation, and possibly pushback - kids will always need reminders about how to avoid temptations and distractions - but managed screen-times can become part of new routines, and navigated in the ways it was prior to COVID-19.
“To improve our overall wellbeing - and this goes for parents as well as children - leisure screen-time in this period might best be thought of in terms of quality over quantity, as suggested by the Australian Psychological Association. To this end, consider using leisure screen-time to practice self-care, and limit media exposure.
“So, let's keep things in perspective. Right now, perhaps our precious energy is best directed towards learning how to live at closer quarters with our family members, establishing flows to our days and attending to our wellbeing. We could be cooped up together for some time yet."
