A new campaign is urging parents to connect with their children away from screens.
Children co-designed the Act for Kids Let’s Connect IRL (In Real Life) campaign, which rolled out during Child Protection Week to encourage adults to create stronger everyday connections with the kids in their lives.
Act for Kids CEO Dr Katrina Lines said that despite the common assumption of screen-addicted kids, kids actually wanted real, in-person time with their families.
She said a survey of Aussie kids aged 10 to 16 found 41 percent favoured face-to-face connection with family, compared to just 15 percent preferring digital interaction.
Three-quarters felt most connected to their family when talking about their day in person, despite almost half spending over an hour a day talking online.
“International research also shows young people who feel less connected to their family often turn to social media for support,” Dr Lines said.
“Unfortunately, we know that social media can sometimes lead to negative experiences with children feeling isolated, lonely, anxious, and at-risk of cyberbullying.”
Dr Lines said research showed three-quarters of children felt positive about their close adult being in the same room while they were online, with nearly one in five feeling safer.
Despite this, only 10 percent of children reported always having an adult in the same room when they were online.
Saanvi Makkar, 12, who helped develop the campaign, said the digital world and social media sometimes made her feel insecure.
“I think it is actually very important for a parent to make sure their child is OK with social media, especially TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat…they can impact a child’s brain very severely if they’re not using it in the right way,” she said.
But rather than parents and carers feeling guilty for allowing their children on screens, Dr Lines said they needed to work out how to incorporate their child’s digital world with their own.
She said this could mean going online together, or making the most of incidental moments like a car ride, asking open-ended questions such as what was their favourite part of their day.
“Most people are time-poor and juggling many competing demands, which is why it’s important to understand that short, meaningful moments spent together can be just as impactful as spending long periods of time together,” she said.
The Let’s Connect IRL campaign offers practical tools, videos, and resources to support stronger real-life connections and help keep kids safe both online and offline.
Visit www.actforkids.com.au for more information.
