Unplug Childhood

A presentation for parents of primary school aged children

 

In today’s digital age, our children face unprecedented challenges from social media and digital devices. Join us as we explore the urgent need to address these issues head-on. Social media companies have come under scrutiny for their failure to protect children, despite knowing the harm their platforms can cause. Dangerous algorithms push harmful content to vulnerable youth, impacting mental health and well-being. Screens not only disrupt academic performance but also displace crucial real-world experiences essential for healthy development.

While some advocate for legislative measures to restrict social media access for under-16s—a crucial step we fully support—implementing such laws takes time and faces significant technological and legislative hurdles. Parents cannot afford to wait. The majority of primary school-aged children already have social media accounts and smartphones, often violating existing age restrictions.

In this presentation, we discuss actionable strategies for parents and caregivers to navigate the digital landscape safely and effectively. From setting healthy screen-time limits to fostering open communication about online risks, empowering our children to navigate the digital world responsibly is more critical than ever. Together, we can take proactive steps to safeguard our children’s well-being in an increasingly digital world.

 

 


Tweens, Teens & Screens

Balancing protection and progress

 

No conversation about ‘kids these days’ has created more confusion and contention than the ‘screen-time’ discussion. How much is ok? How old should they be before they have a phone? Are games making our kids violent? Is social media destroying wellbeing?

Until now, our challenge has been that so much research is contradictory, there’s so little good-quality research, and there has been so much we simply don’t know. But all that is changing.

Join Dr Justin Coulson, one of the nation’s leading parenting experts, as he unpacks – step by step – the specific conclusions we can draw about our digital kids.

In this presentation you’ll discover:

  • Why screen time is an unhelpful way to talk about kids and screens
  • How boys and girls are affected differently by their screen use
  • The true story about screens and social media
  • The uncomfortable truth about boys and violent video games, and
  • Why ‘the displacement hypothesis’ is the critical lever to pull in balancing screen use for our kids’ wellbeing

Tweens, Teens & Screens is the conversation the nation needs to have about our kids and their screens.