DENNIS FURINI

Australians have always had a reputation for embracing new technology so the fact that our children are equally comfortable with new developments should come as no surprise.

But there’s new debate about how much time children should spend using technology after revelations that some Australian boys spend up to seven hours a day watching TV or playing electronic games on the computer or games console. Researchers are calling them “screenie-boppers”.

New research from the University of South Australia suggests increased computer and gaming time has been a key factor in the rise in “screen time” for boys - from an average 30 hours a fortnight in 2003 (ABS) to 56 hours a fortnight today.

Australian health authorities recommend no more than two hours a day exposure to television and/or computer games; this study recorded an average of four.

Curbing kid’s entertainment time has never been a popular move, but in the face of mounting evidence that these new forms of entertainment could have some lasting consequences for our children, we must consider appropriate boundaries around their use.

The impact of new technology on a child’s intellectual development remains a hot topic, with important arguments on both sides of the debate. However the implications for their physical development are less ambiguous and demand our immediate attention.

Researchers are raising concerns about the lack of proper ergonomics amongst children, suggesting that long hours spent in front of screens with poor posture could affect bone development and growth.

Dr Alan Hedge, professor of ergonomics at Cornell University has begun a major Internet survey to track the effects of computer usage on children. He encourages parents to actively manage their children's computer usage, ensuring they have an ergonomic chair, use good posture, take regular breaks and do stretching exercises.

In the workplace, there are recognised standards for occupational health & safety with penalties for managers who neglect their responsibilities. Unless we establish sensible guidelines around this sedentary activity in the home, we may run the risk of seeing our children develop long-term physical side effects.

There are other side effects of the increased use of new entertainment technology which are beginning to emerge.

In Japan, Professor Akio Mori from the Nihon University College of Humanities and Science has found that playing computer and games for long hours impedes the performance of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for human abilities like reasoning and creativity.

The condition, which Mori calls “game brain”, is also associated with writing emails on cell phones, reading comic books and watching cartoons.

Game brain is believed to have played a role in a case in Nagasaki where a primary school girl allegedly killed a classmate with a box cutter because she believed the girl insulted her on an Internet chat room she frequented.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is currently conducting interviews for its triennial study of Children’s Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, although the results will not be available until December.

The previous study in 2003 found that 98 per cent of Australian children (aged 5-14) watched TV or DVDs/videos as their primary source of entertainment while 71 per cent played computer or video games.

Eighty-two per cent of boys played electronic games, compared to 59 per cent of girls, with an average eight hours per fortnight spent in this activity, compared to 22 hours on average spent watching TV/movies.

The latest ABS study will provide more definitive data, thanks to expanded categories to capture time spent not only watching TV or gaming, but also chatting online, browsing websites for education or leisure, downloading mobile ring tones and other activities.

Dr Tim Olds, who authored the South Australian study, said while they did not include texting in screen time, they found “more and more kids who spend an hour a day texting”.

The pace of technology development is rapid, yet it is essential that we understand and manage its social consequences, rather than allowing commercial factors to dominate our decisions.

A balanced debate is imperative. On the positive side, electronic gaming can be an important building block to computer literacy. In addition to developing spatial and fine motor skills, games enhance children's ability to read, visualise images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously.

According to the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, around 50,000 games with an educational component are sold in Australia each month. The IEAA claims that games encourage children to practise listening, following directions, solving problems and developing strategies to get around entertaining problems, as well as providing opportunities for social interaction.

We need to anticipate the effects of emerging technologies and set appropriate boundaries to ensure that new developments create opportunities and support our lifestyle interests and choices rather than producing a new set of issues.

Dennis Furini is Chief Executive of the Australian Computer Society. See www.acs.org.au or email ceo@acs.org.au