November 2025

Children and Screentime Part 2: Interactive Learning, Screens at School, and the Slow TV Revolution

Screen use has been on the rise since at least 2010 among kids, teens, and adults. Psychologist Jean Twenge and experienced teachers Matt Miles and Joe Clement argue that the proliferation of screens in the early 2000s is a significant contributor to educational decline or “learning loss.” Indeed, Miles and Clement devote a whole book to exploring the negative effects which screens have on learning, titled Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse is Making Our Kids Dumber.

Teachers, parents, and students generally concur that the 2018 recommendations around screen use for young Australians are due for an overhaul. These stipulate:

• No screen time for kids under 2.
• 1 hour per day for 2-5-year-olds.
• Two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day for ages 5–17 (excluding schoolwork).

These guidelines are imperfect, particularly because they only consider screens used for entertainment purposes and don’t take into account that screens are an unavoidable part of everyday life in many contexts.

Blind Spots of 2018 Australian National Screen Time Guidelines

• Daily use of screens only really took off in the early 2000s, and so their impact on child development in the long-term is unclear. More detailed studies of how screen use or overuse impacts kids over time are needed, as well as evidence-based quantitative and qualitative research.
• Existing studies on the effects of screen time on young people are often inconclusive or contradictory. Take the few recent studies which look at the supposedly negative effects of fast-paced screen content, and interactive devices on toddlers. Such explorations produce mixed results, and links of correlation or causation are as yet unclear.
• Current screen use guidelines and recommendations don’t reflect real-world conditions. For example, according to experts, children under two shouldn’t have any exposure to screens, yet 2025 e-safety data indicates that most children are online before they turn four. Many parents, families and caregivers allow toddlers some time with a portable screen or stationary TV – particularly if they are tired and want peace for five minutes! Parental surveys suggest that most caregivers allow children to have screen time at least once per week, with a minority offering screen time every day as a downtime option for their child.

Rather than focusing on hours of screen time, updated guidelines and laws would do well to account for new ways in which screens are used. These recommendations need to move with the times, prioritising quality screen content over sticking to a set number of hours per week for different age groups. We must move beyond the yes or no question: “Are screens good or bad for us?”

Screens aren’t inherently bad, but overuse or lack of moderation is generally detrimental to our overall wellbeing.

How To Use Screens As Effective Teaching Tools in Class and Promote Healthy Screen Habits

Used effectively, screen devices and media content are powerful teaching tools which equip students to become critical thinkers, content creators, and digital citizens.

Young people must be able to navigate the digital world safely, efficiently, and effectively. It is a teacher’s job to help pupils develop these skills. In so doing, teachers would ideally promote a balance between the online digital landscape, and the offline screen-free world. Modelling healthy screen habits and guarding against overuse is crucial, before negative habits become entrenched in adult life. Cultivating these skills lays the foundation for success in the workplace and elsewhere.

Want ideas on how to do this for your class or school? Here’s what teachers, researchers, parents, and child development experts suggest:

• The majority of young learners (0-6) learn and retain information and build skills most effectively through direct experience and interaction with the real world, rather than through 2D screens. Screen learning can’t replace one-to-one conversations and interactions with others, or direct experiences. Current research suggests that young children have difficulty translating skills or information they learn on screens to real-world situations.
• Robyn Papworth, Australian child development specialist, exercise physiologist, and podcaster argues that screens are a pesky and potentially harmful distraction for preschool aged kids who are just learning to eat independently in a group setting with peers and teachers. It distracts them from focusing on the task of eating and mindfully enjoying their food at lunch. Instead, they are bolting down food on autopilot and distracted from enjoying the social experience of a meal with others. Training children to sit quietly and eat meals with others at specified times without being distracted by screens is a key early socialisation and gross motor skills.
• Papworth advises preschool staff to use gel timers or get kids to pick off tape with their fingers from desk surfaces if they need an active task to engage with after coming outside from outdoor play or exercise. This type of activity aims to optimise focus and arousal levels which is good for their digestive system. This kind of mindful activity also teaches them to notice and react to bodily cues for hunger. If they notice they are hungry, they are more likely to sit quietly, eat, and engage in relaxed conversation with peers during lunchtime.
• Screens can keep kids disengaged from what’s going on around them despite requests from peers or teachers to interact with them or follow instructions. A constant stream of exciting content distracts them from registering body cues. This is because young learners often need to use most of their available bandwidth to process what they are seeing or what is playing out on screens. Papworth has heard from followers of her podcast content that getting kids to meaningfully engage with each other and sit at the table to share meals is a constant battle if they children to have screen times during family mealtimes.
• Despite what educational app developers may claim regarding the benefits of using apps for learning, research begs to differ:

Parents and teachers have valid concerns over the safety and efficacy of some apps used in schools. A 2025 US survey conducted by Internet Safety Labs of 663 K-12 schools found that of the top 25 mandatory school apps used by participating institutions, 96% are deemed “unsafe for students”, whilst 56% are categorised “Do Not Use.”

• Research has shown that long periods on interactive devices or videogames, even though they may have certain educational benefits, can lead to kids throwing tantrums or struggling to regulate their emotions. If they aren’t used to amusing themselves with low tech alternatives from an early age, they frequently become bored, frustrated or even throw tantrums when the Internet is down or devices are taken from them.

As we saw in the previous article, a never-ending stream of entertainment set up to play automatically keeps them hyper-aroused and looking for instant gratification. It can be addictive. It’s telling that “Binge” is the name of a popular Australian streaming platform – that’s what purveyors of screen content want you to do, even if endless binging is unhealthy for you, and your attention span prevents you from paying as much attention as you would to content if you just took a break! Self-discipline, control, and the awareness that content will still be here tomorrow is something that kids need to develop, rather than the expectation of instant gratification via screens.

• Teachers at all levels of schooling should discuss screen habits as a class and acknowledge when tearing themselves away from screens is difficult. Encouraging students to build in time away from screens is an activity teachers can help with, by modelling how to schedule it in and set limits early on.

What are the downsides of excessive screen time?

Why are they spending so much time on screens – is it linked to work duties or academic studies?

In times of heavy screen use, what can they do to ensure they spend time outdoors, or doing real-world activities which allow them to play, exercise and connect with others?

• Childcare and early learning settings should prioritise play and movement as it is extremely important for young children. It is also important to ensure that children build lifelong habits of exercise and movement when they are young to avoid health problems which can be exacerbated by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Educators and parents are partners in getting children up and moving, fit and Exercising, bushwalking, or engaging in active play is good for everyone and is an opportunity for bonding and deeper connection.
• Model screen time budgets and mix things up in the classroom, alternating between digital learning activities, and non-digital, screen-free activities. For best results, show students how to create screen time budgets where all screen activities for the week are specific, intentional, purposeful, and time-limited. For example, aimless scrolling for hours on end is often unhealthy and unhelpful for everyone, not just kids.
• Model screen etiquette – avoid sharing photos of others without their consent or looking at devices while socialising or greeting others. In terms of screen etiquette and healthy screen habits, be the change that you want to see in your students.
• Offer alternatives to screen time for students that want or need this – if students prefer handwriting certain assignments, allow them to choose to submit handwritten versions. Research suggests that handwriting things is effective for building up short-term and long-term memory, and fine motor skills as well. Offer physical books during free reading time, and not just as a substitute for when tablets are low on battery but as a regular thing at least once a week.

Students with medical conditions or disabilities may struggle with offscreen tasks. They may need digital technology to make reading or writing a faster, easier process. Such pupils may need more time or adjustments for non-digital tasks to allow them to participate. Just make sure that students of all abilities don’t see digital production and content as the default or go-to option in all scenarios.

• Screen content is everywhere and children need to develop critical thinking skills, so encourage them to deconstruct and analyse what they watch, with scaffolding and support, at an appropriate level for the development. Can we trust everything we see on the Internet or computer screens? What are the hallmarks of reliable information? Why is it valuable to see things from a variety of different viewpoints? Start tackling these questions early on with concrete examples where possible.

• If developmentally appropriate, and you are able to link it to learning outcomes, introduce students to slower-paced screen content with longer cuts between scenes, gentle music, and soothing sounds. Research indicates that toddlers and young children (between 2-7 years of age) are better able to process slower-paced content and retain the information. This is because slow TV or screen content supports developing brains in ways that faster-paced shows for kids and adults don’t.

Slow Versus Fast TV: Spot The Difference

Recently, a new phenomenon has emerged as a buzzword in children’s programming and screen entertainment industries: slow TV. It’s discussed by parents, teachers, child development specialists, and everyone in between. What is it, how is it defined, and why is it popular?

Generally, slow TV programs are characterised by:

• Soothing instrumental music and sounds, rather than loud, repetitive jingles with catchy lyrics and repetitive hooks - perfect for transitioning to naptime or bedtime. Slow TV programs are great for helping kids wind down because they don’t keep them hyper-aroused.

• Simple plots which unfold in 15 minutes or less, with realistic, traditional animation styles, soft colour palettes and relatable characters. ABC mockumentary series Little Lunch aimed at primary schoolers or Peppa Pig episodes are good examples. 3-15-minute clips or episodes are the ideal length for kids to digest and discuss during lessons!

• Typically, slow TV shows for toddlers and young kids keep scene cuts above seven seconds, which is just right for developing brains. Slower transitions allow viewers to make sense of scenes more easily.

• Compare the hypnotising quality of Cocomelon for toddlers, or episodes of the American show Gabby’s Doll House aimed at 0-5-year-olds, which is chock full of flashy CGI animation and digital imagery. These two shows can hypnotise viewers with gaudy colours and catchy songs. Too many neon hues are distracting for kids and make it difficult to follow the storyline at times. These flashy tactics can keep kids glued to screens and overstimulated, although these shows are not without merit.

• Many slow TV or low stimulation shows focus on developing social and emotional regulation skills and instilling kindness and resilience in kids. Witness Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, a modern-day remake of Mr Rogers’ neighbourhood or the world-famous Bluey, an Australian classic featuring a family of Blue Heeler dogs.

In Conclusion

Screen content for kids can be a powerful teaching and learning tool if well-designed and developmentally appropriate. Resourceful and creative teachers know how to make insightful and effective connections between screen content and key learning outcomes and knowledge. Screen media can convey complex concepts succinctly in memorable ways. Low stimulation shows ensure that children retain key information and aren’t too taxing to process. Get the best out of screen content for your class with the right mix of screen-based learning and screen-free activities.

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Author

Dr Estelle Hélène Borrey
PhD in European Languages and Cultures