Screen Time and Wellbeing: Supporting Students in the Digital Age
Mr Geoff Lancaster | Principal | 22 November 2024
Over the last couple of months I have had several conversations about the current considerations by the Government to introduce minimum age limits for social media access. I am sure there are a diverse range of opinions in our school community regarding social media. However, as a school we are very concerned about the wellbeing of our young people as they struggle to manage their use of technology. Perhaps unsurprisingly, students are more distressed about losing access to a smartphone and social media, than other consequences for poor behaviour, even suspension.
St Luke’s has recently developed a Technology Position Statement for our Junior Schools as we move to School owned devices for Years 3 to 5 in 2025 (Years 3-6 in 2026). It is wonderful to hear the positive feedback about this decision from many of our parents. In the Senior School, Mrs Koch and Mrs McDonald ran a webinar for parents in Years 7 to 9 earlier this year with a focus on the problems of Social Media use in young people, a conversation bolstered by the release earlier this year of the book “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood" began to decline in the 1980s, and for many children was replaced by the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. He believes the "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism.
I recognise there are dissenting views of these findings, as for complex mental health concerns it is difficult to distinguish correlation or causation. However, I haven’t yet met a parent or student who thinks they need to spend more time on devices and social media. I personally find social media addictive, and choose to delete it from my phone during term time to prevent mindless scrolling when trying to unwind at night. I can only imagine how I would have been as a teenager.
It is great to see that even the tech companies recognise the need to reduce teenager addiction. Two of the most common apps used by students are Snapchat and Instagram. I encourage parents to investigate Family Centre for monitoring Snapchat and also explore the new Teen Accounts feature of Instagram.
If the government moves ahead with restricting social media access it is unlikely to be the panacea for anxiety and other mental health concerns, although it hopefully will have a positive impact. Despite alcohol laws and age restrictions, there are still issues with underage drinking. The most powerful way to help our students navigate and avoid the negative impacts of addictive technology and even addictive substances is through education and open communication - they need our help. The School’s Online Safety Hub and Wellbeing Resources page contain helpful information and both these sites are regularly updated to support parents and students. As a parent, I encourage you to be intentional in the way you manage technology - ask questions, talk with other parents, set boundaries and supervise behaviour. We know our students are wonderful but even great kids make bad choices.