Parents/Carers: Devices in the Home
Supporting children in forming healthy digital habits
This workshop focuses on the importance of working with our children to form healthy, sustainable digital habits. It outlines the role of parents and carers in the process as not only an authority but also a role model to promoting effective device usage to improve wellbeing.
Discussions around family time, sleep and free time help to navigate conversations around appropriate and non-appropriate tech-use in the home.
By helping parents establish small goals and boundaries through open communication, this workshop helps families build closeness, take back crucial family time and get back to the things we love doing together.
Session Outcomes
Reflection of personal use and how this impacts young people
As parents, we must first consider our own device usage and digital habits to look at the example we are setting for our children. If we are using our phones ineffectively, this can often lead to similar habits in our young people.
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Establishing open communication about device use in the home
The first step to working with your family to improve their digital habits is to set aside time to have non-confrontational discussions about phones and devices. This must be done in collaboration, where both you and your child have the opportunity to discuss how phone use might be impacting their wellbeing.
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Goals and Boundary Setting to Improve Wellbeing
By setting small goals and boundaries as a collective family, your child is more likely to feel prepared and motivated to stick to these. This relies on the whole family adhering to these goals and boundaries to make the family unit a place for social change.
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Encouraging young people to get back to what they love doing and improving connection
Understanding your child’s interests, hobbies and talents and how these can be used to curb phone addiction and excess screen time. Content will also focus on sleep, family time and connection.
“The workshop helped me understand the impact that the phone has had on our daily lives and helped me to realise different cues and strategies I can use to reduce my screen time when I am around others. I have taken away a few things which I definitely will try tonight.”
Lachlan, Year 9 Student
“I had fun doing the Ctrl Your Scroll workshop. We learnt about what social media is and why it is important to be aware of what we are doing online. I am going to try and be more conscious of how I use my phone and social media.”
Tessa, Year 8 Student
