Mobile Phone Policy

The following advice is from Jocelyn Brewer, a Sydney based psychologist with 16 years experience working as a teacher and counsellor in public schools.

The recomended amout of screen time for young people up to age 17 is 2 hours per day. In addition to the quantity, the quality of the screen time is of vital importance. Parents, carers and young pepole should consider: 

• Content - What information is being consumed or activities engaged in? Are they developmentally appropriate? 
• Context - What is the situation the tech use is occurring in? Is it in the classroom, bedroom, alone or with others? 
• Cognitions - What thoughts, motivation & intentions are present? Are they helpful or negative? 
• Function - What is the reason for the tech use? Is it to avoid social interaction, to study, etc?

• Keep device use in the house in public spaces. i.e. no tech in bedrooms
• Make gaming/tech an oportunity to connect with family. For instance by playing toghether. 
• Create a 'digital foyer' in the house where devices all devices are charged in the evening and overnight.
• Know parental control measures avaiable.  

• Other helpful resources include: Information about Parent Controls from eSafety - link
• Suggested family tech-use agreements -
  •  From the Alana and Madeline Foundation - link
  • From the eSafety Office - link
• The Taming Gaming Database which is helpful for finding quality games that are age-appropriate - link