Next week is Good Samaritan’s Screen Aware Week. We have Screen Aware Week every term to support student use of screens and devices. This includes teaching students the importance of putting screens away and developing face to face skills with each other. We also take this week to revise our Good Samaritan iPad and computer expectations and procedures in class.

Recently, the Sydney Morning Herald highlighted the addictive nature of gaming with the headline Parents of Game Obsessed Teens Begging for Help. The article highlights the fact that gaming is now being considered a disorder. It also highlights the physical impact of children and young people who do not move as much as what is needed for their bodies to remain strong and healthy. This highlights that children are taking risks online rather than physically which, in the past, may have been seen as broken bones, scrapes and grazes.

The article also speaks about devices being used within schools. At Good Samaritan, we aim to have a proactive approach to the balanced use of technology within classrooms. Students come to understand that technology is used for learning. From time to time, games might be accessed however there is always an educational outcome that is related.

Research is starting to show that children’s sleep patterns are affecting their learning and general functioning throughout the day. The high use of technology and screens, including television, is being attributed in part to this concern. Having regular sleep routines is extremely important for all school age children and this includes having a regular bed time. The Sleep Foundation recommends that school age children (6-13 years) have 9-11 hours of sleep every night.

Screen Aware Week may be a good opportunity to review your screen expectations, including keeping screens out of bedrooms and having some no-screen times or days throughout the week.