Many parents are rightly concerned about the significant impacts that extensive screen use has on our young people. We know that internet-enabled portable devices, such as phones and iPads, contain apps that are designed to be addictive through their triggering of the pleasure receptors in our brains and that persistent use actually changes our neural pathways. Jonathan Haidt, author of the bestseller The Anxious Generation, argues that unfettered access to devices has caused a spike in anxiety, sleeplessness, inattentiveness and depression.

The School assists parents in addressing this phenomenon through the introduction of our Ctrl Alt Del program which provides education, advice and incentives to families to support them in wading through the complexities of managing screen time and the potential harms that are associated with it.

This week, we hosted a wonderful community education session on this topic. It was called Charlie and the Screen-Free Factory. King David parent and media personality, Charlie Pickering, hosted an expert panel to explore device usage and its impact on adolescent life.

The uniqueness of this panel was that it was entirely comprised of King David students who ranged from 10 to 16 years old.

Charlie began the evening by requiring all parents and staff present to swear a comical oath that was designed to assure the panellists that anything they said would not be used against them and they would not be judged negatively or punished for disclosure of how they utilise their devices even if it broke school rules, parent limits or national laws. This created an environment where the panel members could speak openly and freely and explore the hold that their devices have over their lives.

Charlie asked the panellists about when they first obtained their device. All of the panellists had smartphones except for two Year 5 students, one who had an Apple watch and the other an iPad. Most of the panellists described that they received their first device after extensive nagging and negotiating with their parents. The predominant rationale for obtaining the device was for safety reasons for catching public transport and so parents could monitor their children’s whereabouts through apps like Life 360.

Charlie asked whether having smartphones had ever averted a catastrophe on public transport and the panellists replied that it had not. When he asked if a “dumb” phone could achieve the same outcomes a panellist agreed that it could facilitate coordination with their parents and friends.

All of the participants explained that regardless of why their parents had agreed to a phone, it was not very long before they negotiated access to a range of apps including those associated with the time sucks of “doomscrolling” like Tik Tok and Instagram. The panellists suggested that some apps, and most predominantly SnapChat and Whatsapp, were considered vital for their daily communication with their peers. They indicated that it is through these apps that they make arrangements, particularly on weekends, and also keep up to date with their friends.

Some, who kept their phones in their bedrooms at nighttime, admitted that smartphone use interrupted their sleep. While some panellists felt they were extremely attached to their device, others felt that they were less reliant. One referred to the great feeling of being device-free for an extended period while on a camp. Others suggested that they had placed limits on their use of particular apps with a view to preventing wasting so much time.

When Charlie asked about a topic that I believe is high on the lists of parent concerns the answers were a little surprising. He asked if the panellists had been exposed to material that made them uncomfortable. The panellists did not indicate that this was a main concern though one mentioned feeling disturbed by how the algorithm seemed to have identified particular interests and presented views that ran opposite to theirs. He said that he was perturbed by how much the algorithm had mined from him and how well it knew him.

Overall, this was a fascinating forum. It was apparent that for this panel, their devices play a big part in their lives and that they do waste a lot of time scrolling. However, what was particularly reassuring was that each student displayed their humour, intellect, maturity and a strong moral compass and it was apparent that they enjoy healthy relationships and balanced lifestyles. It seemed to me that thanks to some positive and active parenting and a strong partnership between home and school, these students seem to be thriving.

While this topic will continue to be a major challenge in contemporary parenting, I am proud that our school is facilitating important conversations among our families on how to best manage this in order to protect their kids’ childhood, wellbeing and development.