It is no secret that our digital dependency has become a ‘thing’.
Many of us have good intentions when it comes to how much we use our technology, but somehow our lives have become so interdependent that we feel we ‘need’ to have our devices tethered to us like another limb.
Research tells us the average person checks their phone 80 times a day and that we own 3.2 digital devices each. Even if we are not on our phone we are often plugged into another device or multiple devices.
I have noticed my own reliance on my phone increase in recent years and as a result, I have developed a love-hate relationship with it. As parents, we often focus on managing our children’s screen time but conveniently overlook our own digital dependency.
I think we can all appreciate that we missing magic moments in life because our heads are buried in a screen. I have so many questions about how this dependency is impacting our lives. Questions such as:
- How is technology impacting our mental and physical health?
- Why can’t we just switch off?
- What is the cost of digital distraction?
- How is it impacting children’s brains?
- How do we not feel overwhelmed by what innocent eyes are seeing online?
- How is our productivity being affected by constant distraction?
- How do we manage ourselves and our children when it comes to technology?
I decided to bring in one of Australia’s leading experts in Digital Health and Wellbeing, Dr. Kristy Goodwin. Kristy shares her wealth of knowledge on the topic of taming our digital dependency and helped to answer some of my burning questions on the topic.
Connect with Dr. Kristy Goodwin:
About Dr. Kristy Goodwin:
Dr. Kristy Goodwin is the author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World, a speaker, media commentator and digital wellbeing researcher, who doesn’t suggest that we ban the iPhone (digital abstinence isn’t the solution). Kristy worked as an educator for fourteen years before becoming an academic and speaker. She has worked with clients including Apple, Westfield, Bank of Queensland, Nickelodeon Channel, the National Broadband Network, McDonald’s, NSW Department of Education and Optus, she’s spoken at national and international conferences, at schools, workplaces and medical conferences throughout Australia.
Kristy is regularly called upon by the media to translate the latest research about kids, teens, adults and screens into practical and relevant information for parents and professionals. She provides evidence-based information and realistic solutions about how technology is impacting the health, learning, wellbeing and development of kids and teens and also how our digital infatuation is shaping adults’ health and productivity. Kristy’s on a mission to empower people to tame their technology habits and not be a slave to the screen!
Please do check out Kristy’s website – it has a wealth of free resources, courses and webinars to help manage your relationship with technology (and your children’s).
