The latest Australian Child Health Poll is out today, which provides a snapshot of what is happening in Australian homes right now when it comes to children’s screen-based device use.

The poll found that almost all Australian teenagers, two- thirds of primary school-aged children and one-third of preschoolers owning their own tablet or smartphone. As well as owning their own device, many children also have their own social media accounts and are using these devices with a lack of supervision. Perhaps one of the most significant findings was that almost half of children regularly use their screen-based devices at bedtime, with one in four children reporting associated sleep problems.

Led by Anthea Rhodes, she says these findings highlight the need for updated national guidelines and resources to guide and support parents, educators, health care providers and communities in forming healthy habits when it comes to screen and media use in children.

Other key findings included:

• Eighty-five per cent of parents of young children (aged less than six years) said they used screen-based devices to occupy their kids so they could get things done with one in four doing this every day of the week
• Fifty per cent of screen use in toddlers is unsupervised
• When it comes to seeking help to manage their child’s screen use, parents said friends and family were their first port of call. This was followed by online resources and teachers.

Head to the Australian Child Health Poll website for an in-depth look at the findings.