Episode 40 – Kid’s Digital Wellbeing!

Technology is quite possibly the single most powerful force to impact the current world we are living in. It has influenced our culture, our education systems, and, as we will later find out in this interview, our brains. And while many of us are in quarantine, working and playing in front of screens seems to be the most obvious thing to do for us and our children. But, is there a smarter and healthier way of relating to technology? Our guest for this episode has the answers.

Dr. Kristy Goodwin is one of Australia’s leading digital well-being and productivity expert. She’s the author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World. She’s a speaker, media commentator, and digital researcher. She worked as an educator for 14 years before becoming an academic and speaker. She has worked with corporate clients and spoken at national and international conferences, schools, workplaces, and medical conferences throughout Australia. She frequently shares her expertise with the media where she translates the latest research about teens, kids, adults, and screens into practical and relevant information. In her work, Kristy provides evidence-based information and realistic solutions about how technology is impacting students’ physical and mental health and how it is shaping their learning.

Key Learnings

Tune in to my conversation with Dr. Kristy Goodwin and learn:

• What led her to the field of digital well-being
• What it means to be “digitally healthy”
• Why excessive use of screens can delay your child’s development
• The first thing you need to know about healthy habits in the digital world
• How our brains change in response to a digitalized world
• How to manage your child’s technology use while in quarantine
• How you can prevent “techno-tantrums”
• Signs to look out for to know when your child is already in digital overload

Tips for Parents and Educators

1. Limit or discourage your child’s use of technology before going to bed at night and when they wake up in the morning.
2. When choosing an activity for your child to do while using technology, choose something interactive rather than something that is just passive.
3. Establish boundaries on the use of technology among the children you care for.
4. Leverage technology for communication, collaboration, and creation; have a conversation with your children about how they use technology.
5. Have a regular time to disconnect from technology. Teach your children the same.

Quote

“What I believe that we need to teach young children is how to tame technology and not be a slave to their screen. Technology makes for a great servant, but it should not be our master.”

Links

• dr.kristygoodwin.com

• Dr Kristy Goodwin is generously offering Chatabout Children Podcast listeners a discount code for the Switched on Parents’ Portal which is 20% using the code ‘parents’.

• A discount on Taming Email virtual masterclass is also 20% off with the promo code- ‘inboxsanity’.

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