Do you feel guilty everytime you hand over the iPad so you can get a few things done around the house? Does it drive you mad that your son would rather play Fortnite than build a fort with the neighbour’s kids? Do you fret about how much time your teen spends with social media?

Or... are you so wary of technology that you enforce a strict no-devices policy? Do you avoid people and places where your child will have access to screens and you’re starting to feel a little socially isolated?

How do we know what’s harmful and what’s helpful? What’s the best approach? How do we navigate the digital dilemmas we face in the techno age to raise healthy, happy kids and teens?

Technology isn’t going away. It’s such a huge part of our lives that it can be difficult to know where to start. We know that too much can be harmful to a child’s or adolescent’s development, but how much is too much? We also know that screens can be a helpful learning aid in a child’s education, but where’s the line?

In this episode of The Parenting Couch podcast, Rachel and Sarah talk to Dr Kristy Goodwin about how we can best manage devices with our kids. The interview is packed with lots of sensible and practical advice about how we, as parents, can be the pilot and not the passenger of the digital plane.

About Dr Kristy Goodwin

Dr Kristy Goodwin is an award-winning researcher, speaker, author, and mum of 3 on a mission to help parents and educators raise happy, healthy children and teens who thrive online and offline.

 As a researcher and educator herself, she’s spent most of her professional career researching and speaking about the ways in which technology shapes children’s and teens’ wellbeing, health, and learning. She provides research-based but realistic advice and strategies to teachers and parents on how they can teach their children to use technology in productive and purposeful ways without reverting to phone bans or constant digital detoxes.

 She authored the book Raising Your Child in a Digital World and has conducted numerous evaluations and research studies for the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities. Prior to becoming a speaker and consultant, she worked as an educator for 14 years with schools in both the public and private sectors. She also lectured at Macquarie University and University of Notre Dame and have completed a PhD on the impact of digital technologies.

Offers

Digital Wellbeing Checklist

The Digital Wellbeing Checklist has all the tools you need to create healthy tech habits in your home.

Whether you love technology or loathe digital devices, your kids and teens will inherit a digital future. So ‘digital amputation’ isn’t a solution. Your child or teen needs to develop healthy and helpful digital habits so that they’re not a slave to the screen. As modern parents we need to help foster our kids’ digital wellbeing and that’s exactly what this Digital Wellbeing Checklist will do. Below you’ll find 20 research-based and realistic strategies to ensure that your child’s or teen’s digital habits are healthy and not harmful… so you can finally ditch your guilt, grief and guesswork as you raise a ‘screenager’. (Nudge, nudge. Many of these tips also work for adults too.)

• Free download! No code required.
• Click here to get the Digital Wellbeing Checklist

Switched on Parents Portal

Where empowered parents and carers come to find expert advice, simple strategies and peace of mind in the digital age.

• Get 20% iff with code: PARENTS

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