TVs, gaming consoles, tablets, phones and the screen time issues they throw up in our families would have to be the Achilles heel of modern parenting. I'd hazard a guess that various screen time issues are the biggest reasons for fights between parents and teens and...
What's the right age for kids to get a phone? If it seems like all your friends have smartphones, you may be on to something. A report by Common Sense Media found that by the age of 11, more than half of kids in the US have their own smartphone. By age 12, more than...
Fake Instagram accounts, often referred to as a “finsta” or “spam account”, have become the norm for many teens – but their reasoning for creating these is not as sinister as you think. by Dr Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney...
We want the kids to be on screens less, right? Well, these podcasts for tweens should do the trick. The beauty of a podcast is that you can listen while simultaneously doing something else. I like to listen to podcasts when I drive, but I'm pretty sure your tween...
Video games tend to get a bad rap from media, parents and society as a whole as the world laments the impact they’ve had on a nostalgic world of books, board games and outside play. Yes, they can while away many hours from a child’s day, promote violent play and...
My daughter can't stop doing TikTok moves. From breakfast until bedtime, she's on the move. Little sequences from Renegade, Say So, and Number One Baby. We've renamed it 'tic tok' because I swear it looks like she's got some strange physical tics. All the twitching...
It's true, we don't track our kids. There's no GPS attached to their phones. We don't use apps that pinpoint their location or limit their phone use or block certain sites. There are no parent blockers operating on our internet or apps turning off phones between...
This is a really simple phone rule for kids, but it surprises me how many families don't make it mandatory. Let me tell you, it's non-negotiable at our place. If my kids ever break this rule, their phones get confiscated immediately. It's super-simple: Turn off phone...
The world is reeling in the aftermath of the horrific shootings in Christchurch. The attack has also raised a number of side issues, including the ethics of broadcasting the live stream of the attack, which was later shared on other platforms. By Rachael Sharman,...
I'd been expecting it, but it happened embarrassingly quickly. In fact, it was when my son hit Year 5 that I had to quietly mention I was no longer capable of helping him with his maths homework. He'd have to (gulp) wait until his dad came home. Year 5. The shame! It...
Years ago, when the children were small and there were only two of them, we would talk about our best and worst parts of the day at dinnertime. Gathered around our timber dining table, a candle burning, night falling, we started a tradition that has since become a...
If you've got a high school-aged kid, chances are that the Netflix show Heartstopper will be on your radar. Everyone is watching it. Everyone is falling in love with it. And that's a very good thing indeed. It may as well be called Heartwarmer, because this show is...
I've fallen so far behind in everything in life (I know you've been there). I was supposed to introduce you to this marvellous apple and blackberry pie from Sophie Hanson's new book at least a month ago. Yet here we are. Don't let my delayed introduction put you off...
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