NSW Election Tackles Screen Addiction

Two children play video games on their phones. The world is seeing an explosion of smart phone usage that will have a long-term impact on human relationships. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The Labor Party is pledging $2.5 million (US$1.79 million) towards further research into understanding the impacts of screen and gaming addiction in Australian children.

“For (wife) Anna and I, one of the biggest challenges in raising our children is getting them off devices—and I know we’re not alone,” said New South Wales’ (NSW) opposition leader Chris Minns.

“Screen addiction is a relatively new phenomenon parents are dealing with, and I’m worried we don’t have enough research to know what the full impact is on young people, and their developing minds.

“It’s important that both parents and teachers have all the facts on the impacts of screens and devices on childhood development.”

The funds will be part of the education department’s annual grants budget and forms part of the New South Wales’ opposition’s bid to win power at the next election on Mar. 25.

Mobile Use Restricted in NSW Schools

Since the end of 2018, mobile phones have been banned in all NSW primary schools. Meanwhile, there are no mandatory restrictions for high schools, but high schools are given the choice to opt in.

Labor says that if elected all NSW public high school students will need to have their mobile phones, smart watches and headphones turned off and out of sight during school hours—unless students were given instructions by a staff member.

This mobile phone ban will follow in the footsteps of South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia.

“We really look forward to NSW catching up and putting our children on par with the other states and giving them a better chance at concentrating during the school day and forming those relationships during recess and lunch,” said Danny Elachi, founder of the Heads Up Alliance—a group of Australian families who delay the use of social media and smartphones for children, reported News.com.au.

However, current Education Minister Sarah Mitchell criticised Labor’s pledge saying there was no difference from current policies already in place.

“They (Labor) want to bring a ban in place, but of course there will be exceptions,” Mitchell told reporters.

“They'll work with schools if these students might need to use (devices) for a health purpose or an educational purpose.”

Gaming Addiction on the Rise in Australia

Over 22 precent of Australians who play video games are aged under 18 and are the most active connecting with games, according to the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) Digital Australia 2022 report (pdf).

The highest average play time by age category is held by children at 106 minutes per day.

Game Quitters reports Australia has seen a rise of video game addicts that are under the age of 18, with around 78,000 Australian children estimated to be addicted to video games.

A Macquarie University study from July 2022 of about 1,000 Australian teenagers found that 2.8 percent were affected by Internet Gaming Disorder, which has been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) since 2013.

Developmental Psychologist Associate Professor Wayne Warburton, says for someone to meet the criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder, video-game use is having a serious impact across multiple areas of young people’s lives including schoolwork, relationships, and mental health.

“For school-age kids, guidelines have been replaced by a recommendation to develop a family media plan, where you and your kids decide on limits together,” Warburton said.

“It’s probably going to be more than the old recommendations of one hour a day during primary school and two in high school, but if you’re getting above three to four hours, then you’re running out of room for them to have a balanced life.

“Think of a healthy media diet as being like a healthy food diet—it’s about moderation and good choices.”

Typical warning signs of Hazardous Gaming (HG) and Internet Gaming Disorders (IGD) include spending more time in their bedrooms, getting poorer school grades, missing out on hobbies and activities, and lying about how much time they spend on gaming.

While IGD and HG can be used to describe excessive use of video games, Warburton said similar effects are associated with addiction to the internet, social media, mobile phones, and even pornography.

“Anyone can develop a screen addiction, but my research shows kids are more at risk if they have issues with impulse control and if their basic needs, like self-esteem, being included, feeling good at things and being in control, are being met better online than offline,” Warburton said.

Gaming addiction or IGD is now classified as a mental health condition by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been added to the International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11, in 2022.

Too Much Screen Time Throws Body Off Balance

An excess amount of screen time can cut into sleep and push life out of balance, whilst any type of light can suppress the secretion of melatonin, blue light from electronic devices at night suppresses this more powerfully.

Electronic devices emit blue light which are rays that have shorter wavelengths and have more energy. Blue light can be beneficial during daylight hours because it can boost attention, reaction times, and mood, but it can be quite disruptive at night.

At night, light can also throw off the body’s biological clock—the circadian rhythm, once thrown off it can contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

The Sleep Foundation reports that children are more sensitive to light, and a study found that evening light exposure suppressed melatonin twice as much in children compared to adults.

“Online interaction doesn’t provide the same level of complex mental stimulation and physical contact as seeing friends in real life,” Warburton said.

“Using an addiction model is a conscious choice. It’s the only way to drive profits because their competitors already use it.”