Barbara Biggins OAM CF, is CMA’s Honorary CEO.

Collective action on the prevention of digital harms

In late February, members of Children and Media Australia met online with clinical experts, academics, and maternal and child nurses to share ideas about what we are noticing among caregivers and very young children in the digital environment and whether and how we might respond collectively.

The meeting heard that schools, maternal, child and health nurses and clinicians are seeing a decline in self-regulation among children and parents, increased anxiety in parents and thinner relationships between parents and their young children (less talk, less language, less play and general engagement).

There is genuine alarm about how technology is shaping children rather than children experiencing positive attachment and pro-social relationships that support them to “emerge, be and become”.

Many expressed concern about children being on screens well above the recommended guidelines and under constant surveillance with caregivers, including early learning centres, contributing to the problem by enabling it.

In the wake of positive changes to the Online Safety Act (to reduce teens’ access to social media), there was seen to be a need to focus on children under seven. This is where the work of real prevention of digital harms must be concentrated.

I was one of 12 people on the Zoom call that explored the potential to act collectively.

The aims of such collective action are yet to emerge but with a federal election around the corner, there was energy and momentum to come together to name and acknowledge the profound changes in early childhood in the digital age and to raise our voices with people of influence.

It’s early days but this new group is likely to explore how to support parents to prioritise their interactions with their babies and toddlers over interactions with their handheld devices, and how schools and health professionals might assess the digital health of families to resource them positively.

If you or your organisation would like to join this collective action, please email Toni Hassan at CMA:

communications@childrenandmedia.org.au

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