Screen addiction among children is growing at an alarming rate.
Just last month, ABC News reported that Australian children are “being taken to emergency departments after having angry meltdowns when their devices are taken away”.
The outlet quoted warnings from Rockhampton Hospital senior medical officer Corne Esterhuysen, who believes that digital addiction is causing serious anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and ADHD traits in children.
“The effect is compared to cocaine and heroin — that’s the effect that it has on the brain,” Dr Esterhuysen said.
The problem is even recognised by the World Health Organization in its most recent International Classification of Diseases (ICD), published in 2022.
Australian Christians is serious about addressing this crisis with sensible policies that protect the young and vulnerable,\ and strengthen our nation’s families.
The more we know about screen use — among children especially — the more the comparison to cocaine is an apt one.
In 2016, author Brad Huddleston weighed into this conversation with his ground-breaking book Digital Cocaine, where he explores the impact of technology and screen time on mental health, brain development, and overall well-being among children and teens.
There, Huddleston compares the addictive nature of digital media to the effects of cocaine, and warns that overexposure to screens can lead to dependency, reduced attention spans, and a decline in social skills.
As explained in the book’s description:
Whether it’s gaming, pornography, cyberbullying, or the decline in grades, you’ll get a look inside your wonderful God-designed brain to understand how it interacts with the exploding world of digital communication and how you can keep your family safe.
Even moreso than when Huddleston wrote Digital Cocaine and even his follow-up title Digital Rehab in 2022, screens have completely invaded our lives and are now found everywhere in the modern world.
Parents face a Goliath-like challenge in shielding the next generation from the multifaceted harms of screen use, even as they necessarily allow their children enough digital access in order to learn how to navigate our interconnected world.
To this end, Australian Christians wants to equip parents and families as much as possible for this high calling.
We want to see parents equipped with digital tools and other resources that can help them understand, monitor and regulate their children’s screen time effectively.
We want to see screen time in schools regulated and the use of digital devices in classrooms limited. Far better for schools to focus on time-tested traditional learning methods, emphasise face-to-face interactions, and ensure plenty of physical activity and outdoor play.
We want to see the advertising and marketing of digital devices and apps aimed at children restricted, in order to reduce their exposure to persuasive digital content.
We also want to see legislation strengthened to protect children’s data and privacy online, and to enforce stricter age verification processes to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content.
Ultimately, Australian Christians believes that children are not only our future but also the torchbearers of a flourishing nation. We acknowledge the pivotal role of families as the natural sanctuaries for nurturing and fostering the next generation — and yet in recognising their vulnerability, we are not ashamed to advocate for robust legal measures that protect the welfare of children.
Yes, smartphones, tablets, computers and more are powerful tools that will inevitably be part of our children’s lives. But they have the power to hurt as much as to help. It is up to us to determine which will be the case.
Our nation’s future depends on the decisions we make on this vital issue. Join us today to keep our children safe.
