This Tuesday February the 8th is Safer Internet Day. An important day on the global calendar and a great reminder of the importance of staying safe online. The theme of this year’s Safer Internet Day is ‘Play it Fair Online’. Just as in any environment, be that workplace, household, school yard or sporting field, playing it fair is an age old adage to which we should always be striving. So here are a few ways we can continue to ‘play it fair online’ both for ourselves and for our young people.  Play at the right level There is a world of media out there and a whole world of people that on ..read more

Should I let my child watch Squid games, play Fortnite, get Tik Tok? Should I let them have Instagram, play Call of Duty, watch an M rated movie? Questions such as these are regular from parents, and pretty valid questions considering the combination of children ruminating the fact that everyone is allowed but them, coupled with the repeated headlines about the danger of the latest game or series or social media and how by allowing this or that you are ruining any chance your child has of developing into a functioning adult.  Don’t get me wrong…many of these are completely innappropritae ..read more

What do we really need for young girls to thrive online? When talking about the online behaviours, interactions, connections, consumption and everyday immersion into a world of technology, screens, gaming and devices, parents are often looking for the magic bullet to keep their young daughters safe online. To keep them mentally well. To keep them balanced and in control and in charge of how they turn up online. To stop them meeting predators, to ensure they are not caught up in a world of comparison and exclusion and bullying. To be sure that they are still particpiating in other real world pu ..read more

Life is getting pretty tiring for many people right now. There is no doubt plenty of people feel they are in the midst of some pretty crappy times. Particularly those from Australia who have been subjected to long lockdowns, remote learning, working from home and the disappointments of another year crippled by ongong restrictions (special shoutout to Melbournians who have the dubious honour of recently surpassing 200 days in lockdowns since March 2019). The greatest tool in my toolkit,  for myself and my family, is to try and focus on “controlling the controllables”.  Because I have ..read more

Coping with covid lockdowns…again It is all too familiar, the path is well trodden and the expectations well rehearsed. And yet, for most it appears the foreboding sense of dread does not seem to be getting any easier to navigate.  In fact for many, each lockdown press conference, each well rehearsed set of rules, border closure and return to remote learning, seems to be getting a little harder to handle. Yes we are tired and disappointed and feeling out of control. But, we also know that we have only one choice but to live through it ….again…and possibly again and again.  So how can ..read more

Growing up in a digital world today, can expose young people to a social media feed full of comparisons, comments and cutting remarks, that can leave them feeling constantly judged, not good enough, vilified or even unworthy. For others however they appear to sail through their socials, unburdened or at least with the ability to move beyond and flourish despite the idiosyncrasies and judgement of this highly public, highly connected world.  This is largely why I am often talking with young people and families about the need for digital resilience, and how this may well be the one thing th ..read more

Safer Internet Day for 2021 is help globally on February 9th. This year, the focus of Safer Internet Day is all about the need to “start the chat”, when it comes to keeping our kids safe online. Connecting with our kids has always been the backbone of all of my work with parents, schools and community groups when it comes to giving them the skills, thinking and behaviours to thrive in a digital world. In fact, my book has questions at the end of each chapter aimed to do just that. To give parents some ideas of how to start important but relevant conversations with kids…..but also of equal impo ..read more

This is not another guilt inducing post about how we are all ‘addicted’ to our screens, but it is a gentle reminder about the huge benefits of making some more conscious decisions about how and where we spend our time and attention. We know that nature and spending time immersed in the natural living world has a profound effect on every element of the human body. From the physical effects to the psychological, the social, the emotional and the cognitive. For thousands of years our indigenous cultures have certainly known this to be true, and now we continue to have a barrage of scientific rese ..read more

Once again this year there will be many kids waking Christmas morning to a brand new device, phone, gaming console or shiny new computer. And whilst this can bring great joy and happiness, a few boundaries and some simple rules will help manage their time, their behaviours and their wellbeing, as they embark on their digital journey! Are they ready for a device? There can be many factors to take into consideration here and many have been outlined in this previous post I wrote on the appropriate age for social media…..and indeed why age alone should not be the deciding factor. There can actuall ..read more

In a recent webinar I gave on “Weaning the Screens”, I discussed the many things kids need to thrive and maintain wellbeing. During lockdowns and a year of covid upheaval, many of the usual ways kids have these needs met were taken away. The uptake of extra screentime, came along to fill the many voids. To understand how we can best help our kids wean off some screentime and maintain balance and control over their digital lives, it is important we recognise those needs and how we can ensure we provide plenty of other opportunities to nurture them, that don’t always revolve around a digital dev ..read more