School holiday guide: Children risk 50 hours of screen time unless they are unplugged

by  Kate Campbell

A TYPICAL child in WA could easily spend at least 50 hours stuck staring at screens over the next fortnight during the Easter school holidays, a digital parenting expert has warned.

Dr Kristy Goodwin said parents needed to ensure their children “unplugged” as much as possible during the holidays, as research pointed to mounting physical and developmental risks associated with too much screen time.

She said kids were suffering from “nature deficit disorder”, saying young brains needed time spent playing outdoors to properly develop.

NaturePlay WA communications manager Katherine Healy said devices could be used in positive ways to encourage kids to get outdoors and be active, listing geocaching and Pokemon Go as examples.

“But if something is designed to be played sitting on a couch, not moving for hours then that’s a really bad thing … it’s about making other things (in the real world) more attractive than the screen,” she said.

Read the full story at Perth Now

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Nature Play WA acknowledges the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, as the custodians of the land where our team lives and works. We also acknowledge the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and recognise the continuing connection of Indigenous people to their land, waters, sky, culture and community. We pay our respect to all Indigenous people of this land; ancestors, elders and young ones.