Episodes
-
The paper I discuss in this episode reports on a study about how to improve men’s and boys’ body image in the face of beefy models on social media. The materials they used - and which seemed to work - can be found here. Let us know your reaction:
The movie review is of a live-action Australian film, recommended for ages 10 and up, and based on a Tim Winton novel. It came out last year, and addresses some very timely issues, including the question of how well we listen to the voice of children and young people.
Finally, in Zooming Out, I introduce a new website that has gathered together a vast array of materials on how to best use digital technologies in early childhood settings. I haven’t had time to look at everything on the site, but I suggest a couple of ways listeners could use it.
Hoping to have another episode out soon, so watch this space, or if you want to get a notification when it drops, all you have to do is …
Show notes
British paper: Chris Stiff and Megan Cutts, ‘The effectiveness of an instagram intervention targeted at men to reduce body dissatisfaction’ (2024) 43 Current Psychology 9838–9853; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-05060-8
Blueback review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/blueback
Blueback availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/blueback/
Zooming Out details: the website https://youngchildrendigitalsociety.com.au/
and the video:
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Just a brief few words to let you know I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth! I fill you in on what’s coming up in the next episode, and I share some reflections on the things that have been taking up my time, like the television code of practice and social media regulation. And as always I encourage you to get in touch:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Substack
OR email me at outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com. Doesn’t have to be about anything in particular - just let me know how the jacarandas are in your part of the world, if you like!
The CMA submission to the CTICP Review is here; and you can find some bits of an interview I did about the latest government announcement about online regulation here.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Episodes manquant?
-
This episode starts with an apology for my erratic output in recent weeks. It’s been partly about travel and visitors and such, but there has also been quite a lot of stuff for a children’s media rights advocate to do. For example I gave evidence to a parliamentary committee on privacy: see the Hansard transcript here. Plus we have been working hard on our response to the review of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice - submissions due on 11 November. Hoping to get a bit more regular now, and if you want to send me any encouragement please do!
As for the episode, I found probably the dream research study for the pod’s purposes: a trial of a very practical intervention with toddlers, to improve their sleep by replacing screen-time with play-time in the hour before bed. The study didn’t just look at the impact on sleep quality (which was positive) but it also measured how feasible the intervention was for the families who participated (even more positive). So get on down to your local toy store or library and get an intervention in your own home, whenever you’re ready, and enjoy your extra-refreshed cherub.
Then we get a review of the second Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, and I look into the pros and cons of negotiating a written agreement with children and teens when you get them a smart phone (or other device). The cons come from a post I’ve linked to below, and I can recommend that whole Substack as one where you can find some really thoughtful and thought-provoking content about children, teens and screens. If you want to subscribe there, do tell them I sent you.
Outside the Screen Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Show notes
British paper: Hannah Pickard, Petrina Chu, Claire Essex, Emily J. Goddard, Katie Baulcombe, Ben Carter, Rachael Bedford and Tim J. Smith, 'Toddler Screen Use Before Bed and Its Effect on Sleep and Attention: A Randomized Clinical Trial' (2024) JAMA Pediatrics doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3997; Published online October 21, 2024
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel/
Zooming Out details:
Melanie Hempe post
CyberWise template https://www.cyberwise.org/technology-agreement
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Hello, and sorry once again for the delay in this episode’s appearance. It seems once you get just a little bit out of synch, it’s really hard to get your momentum back up.
Hopefully this episode will be worth the wait as it deals with some important issues. Paper Round is about the link between media violence and cyberbullying: if you watch or play lots of violent content are you more likely to become a bully? This piece of research suggests you are, but it’s not a direct or simple relationship.
Then we Zoom Out to talk to Julie Liddell, a US lawyer who has established a law firm to challenge the data practices of educational technology firms in schools over there. Do you think that your child’s school should be able to consent to the collection of your child’s data, in the context of a compulsory tablet or laptop program, without consulting you?
To find out what Julie thinks (and what she thinks US law thinks), be sure to tune in.
In between times, Glenn gives us a review of the Lego Movie: The Second Part, suitable for children aged 8 and over.
If you’ve been thinking of signing up for a paid subscription, it’s not too late! All proceeds will go to Children and Media Australia (CMA), and support all the activities that make the podcast possible (eg cluing me up). Or if you’d rather, there are various ways to donate directly and then it will be tax-deductible.
I expect to be back in a couple of weeks, and then on a more regular basis after that.
Outside the Screen Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Show notes
Kansas paper: CP Barlett, ‘Testing the direct and indirect relationship between media violence exposure and cyberbullying perpetration’ (2024) 13(4) Psychology of Popular Media 767–772 https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000524
Lego Movie 2 review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/the-lego-movie-2-the-second-part
Lego Movie 2 availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/the-lego-movie-2-the-second-part/
Zooming Out details: Edtech litigation https://edtech.law/cases/nonconsensual-student-data-mining-powerschool-and-ixl-learning/
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
This is a brief note from Liz to explain why the episodes haven’t been appearing as regularly as usual.
As always she’d really love to hear from you with any feedback (or reassurance). See links below.
Also, a reminder that the podcast is made possible by Children and Media Australia, which needs your help. You can:
* become a paid subscriber on here (all proceeds go to CMA)
* donate through GoFundMe
* donate direct to CMA through TryBooking (don’t worry, there’s no event, it’s just a useful platform for collecting cash from the public)
* if you’re in Australia, make a bank transfer (BSB: 065 109 Account: 1000 8669; and please notify admin[at]childrenandmedia.org.au by email.)
The last 3 are tax-deductible in Australia.
Here’s how you can keep in touch, and give feedback:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
This week’s episode comes to you a little late, for reasons explained in the podcast. I hope nobody was inconvenienced.
Paper Round is a big bundle of info from a big paper where a big group of researchers brought together recent evidence about the impact of internet use on our brains. There emerge some interesting and useful ideas about how to maximise the good impacts and minimise the bad.
Glenn reviews one of your cuter koala movies, and then I find myself back on the very firm (for me) ground of food ads regulation. That is, I take you through some changes that are coming in the UK, and that could be a model for other countries.
Along the way, I put out a heartfelt call for listeners to support Children and Media Australia, the organisation without which this podcast wouldn’t be possible. You can do that by becoming a paid subscriber here - as all proceeds go to CMA - or there are a couple of tax-deductible options too. If cash is a little tight, you can help by spreading the word about the great work we do. Thanks in advance!
Enter your email here to subscribe - or click to upgrade, and all proceeds go to CMA. Links to other avenues of support are below.
Show notes
B-I-I-I-G paper: Joseph Firth et al, ‘From “online brains” to “online lives”: understanding the individualized impacts of Internet use across psychological, cognitive and social dimensions’ (2024) 23(2) World Psychiatry 176-190 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.21188
Blinky Bill The Movie review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/blinky-bill-the-movie
Blinky Bill The Movie availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/blinky-bill-the-movie/
Zooming Out details: OfCom statement https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/advertising/regulation-of-less-healthy-food-and-drink-advertising;Draft regulations https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391db7ed3bf7f1bc7d3962a/draft-advertising-less-healthy-food-definitions-and-exemptions-regulations-2022.pdf;Statement from Labour government https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-09-12/hcws93
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Tax-deductible donations can be made through the GoFundMe, the TryBooking page or a bank transfer: BSB 065 109; Account 1000 8669 (please notify admin[at]childrenandmedia.org.au by email).
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Lest anybody accuse me of being too Australian-focussed, this week I dive into the biggest news from the US, namely the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act through the Senate. I give a rundown of what the Act will do, and analyse the politics surrounding it - or in other words the arguments against it as it faces its run through the House. I also offer some thoughts on what it might mean for the rest of the world if it’s passed.
In Paper Round, I walk you through a systematic review on smart device use and language acquisition: do children risk language delay if they spend too long on devices? (Spoiler: as always, content and context matter.)
Glenn reviews A Dog’s Way Home, a touching and at times troubling film that’s widely available for viewing in Australia and recommended for ages 11 and up. Tell us what your favourite animal movies are!
And don’t forget you can now support CMA, the organisation that makes this podcast possible, by taking out a paid subscription. I’ve had an idea of a little sweetener I can add to encourage this, so watch this space.
Outside the Screen is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Show notes
Saudi paper: Manal Alamri, Muath A. Alrehaili, Wejdan Albariqi, Manal S. Alshehri, Kholood B. Alotaibi, Afnan M. Algethami, 'Relationship between speech delay and smart media in children: a systematic review' (2023) 15(9) Cureus Journal of Medical Science https://www.cureus.com/articles/185520-relationship-between-speech-delay-and-smart-media-in-children-a-systematic-review#!/
A Dog’s Way Home review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/a-dogs-way-home
A Dog’s Way Home availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/a-dogs-way-home/
Zooming Out details:The KOSA bill itself https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1409;Explainer https://apnews.com/article/congress-social-media-kosa-kids-online-safety-act-parents-ead646422cf84cef0d0573c3c841eb6dAnalysis of next stage for the bill https://www.politico.com/newsletters/future-pulse/2024/08/05/the-social-media-battle-moves-to-the-house-00172597;Josh Golin of Fairplay on related issues https://riponsociety.org/article/should-warning-labels-be-put-on-social-media-yes/;NYT article fleshing out the politics https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/technology/kosa-child-online-safety.html (paywalled, but anybody you know with a subscription should be able to unlock it for you);Analysis by Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
The Australian Government came out with its privacy reform proposals less than a week ago, and just because I could, I dropped everything to cover it.* The information in Zooming Out should be helpful if you were thinking of making a submission to the review of the Bill … or , you can leave it up to CMA to be the voice of child development, research evidence, and children’s rights in that process. Do support us, though! - become a member, get an organisation you know to join as a member, or just make a tax deductible donation. (Or you can always become a paid subscriber - all proceeds go to CMA.)
The paper I cover is about cyberbullying interventions in primary school: what works, and what can parents do?
And Glenn gives us the run-down on Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. (See Episode 7 for our review of the original.)
* There is just one tiny mistake in what I say: the Commissioner will have 24 months to develop the Children’s Online Privacy Code, not 20.
As always I’d be delighted to know your thoughts on all this, or anything else:
Show notes
Spanish paper: Mercedes Chicote-Beato, Sixto González-Víllora, Ana-Rosa Bodoque-Osma and Raul Navarro, 'Cyberbullying intervention and prevention programmes in primary education (6 to 12 years): A systematic review' (2024) 77 Aggression and Violent Behavior https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178924000284
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-meatballs-2
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-meatballs-2
Zooming Out details: Australian Privacy Principles; Attorney-General’s media release; documents relevant to current amendments. Link to follow the Bill in the Committee should be available soon.
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Apologies for the lateness of this episode - too many small excuses to go into here! Suffice to say that even though I don’t have much parental stress in my life any more, I have plenty of other kinds …
This week’s Paper Round and Zooming Out are tied together by the idea of how we manage stress as parents - and what the broader community can do to help. These are ideas close to my heart as they inform all the work we do at Children and Media Australia (not to mention having a foundation in the Convention on the Rights of the Child).
Our paper unpacks the relationship between tablet use and emotional regulation in young children; and Zooming Out looks at a highly accessible and useful document about the sources of parental stress, why it matters and what can be done about it. It obviously has applications across a range of themes and experiences, but media use is very much in the frame.
Glenn’s review is of Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium - suitable for 5 and up, and starring Dustin Hoffmann, what’s not to like?
Finally, if you’re still getting used to this idea of paid subscriptions, do check out the audio note from a couple of days ago, where I explain that it’s basically just a way for you to show your appreciation for the podcast, and that the proceeds will all go to CMA. If you’d rather make a donation direct to CMA (and get a tax deduction) you can do that here or through our GoFundMe. Thanks in advance!
Show notes
Canadian paper: Caroline Fitzpatrick, Pedro Mario Pan, Annie Lemieux, Elizabeth Harvey, Fabricio de Andrade Rocha and Gabrielle Garon-Carrier, 'Early-Childhood Tablet Use and Outbursts of Anger' JAMA Pediatrics Published 12 August 2024 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2822089
Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/mr-magoriums-wonder-emporium
Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/mr-magoriums-wonder-emporium/
US Surgeon-General’s Advisory on Parents Under Pressure: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/parents-under-pressure.pdf
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
As explained in this audio-post, I’ve turned on paid subscriptions. I’m not putting any content behind a paywall, but listeners now have the chance to upgrade, and by doing so you’ll be helping the organisation that makes this podcast possible, Children and Media Australia.
Alternatively you can donate direct to CMA here. (It’s tax-deductible! - but subscriptions aren’t.)
Also: Episode 48 is delayed by a couple of days. Watch this space, and meanwhile …
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
All the best - Liz
PS This nice short piece of audio might be an excellent thing to forward to a friend or colleague, or 10 …
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
For this episode I had to do a last-minute Sunday afternoon dash to the studio, because in my original recording of Zooming Out I’d overlooked the FTC’s response to the complaint against NGL (Not Gonna Lie, an anonymous peer messaging app). It was great to be able to include in the re-take the good news that the regulator not only agreed with the original complaint but added in a few points of its own. Hopefully other app developers will learn from all this when they market anonymity to minors, but you never know …
(And by the way, if you want to know more about Fairplay for Kids, who wrote the original complaint, listen to my interview with their CEO Josh Golin in Episode 8.)
In Paper Round I also cover social media, looking some research that asked what individual factors contribute to problematic use of Instagram - a great complement to last week’s paper on contextual factors for screen use generally.
And if you want to share a movie with your kids that gives another perspective on princess-hood, Glenn brings us a guide on how to enjoy Brave. Have you watched it before? What did you think?
Show notes
Belgian paper: Silvana Saletti and Stephan van den Broucke, 'Focusing the attention on what truly matters. preventive approaches for problematic instagram use in youth' (2024) 11 Current Addiction Reports 724-35
Brave review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/brave
Brave availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/brave/
Zooming Out details:Complaint by Fairplay for Kids https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NGL_complaint.pdf;FTC media release https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-order-will-ban-ngl-labs-its-founders-offering-anonymous-messaging-apps-kids-under-18-halt
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Thanks for listening to Outside the Screen! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Sometimes when I’m looking for a paper to cover in Paper Round, my eyes open wide - well with this one they practically popped out of my head. The authors thought this study could ‘aid in disentangling healthy screen use from potentially problematic use’, which is basically the whole purpose of this podcast - and I totally agree. The result is even more useful, actionable tips than usual! Let us know how you go with them - or if you can suggest any others.
The movie Glenn reviews is a Russian animation about the adventures of some unlikely friends in the animal kingdom - recommended for 9 and up.
Then we Zoom Out for a chat with Professor Anna Potter, who is a national authority on children’s media policy. You don’t have to be a wonk to appreciate what she has to say here, as she discusses things we’re probably all wondering about: what’s happening with kids’ content and especially Australian content now that the internet and streaming are taking such a prominent place? The author of an article called ‘Mermaids and Bin Chickens’ must have some interesting stuff to say, don’t you think?
And a heads-up: Anna and I discussed a bunch of other stuff, which I’ve left out here to keep the ep to a reasonable length, but I’ll put out some bonus content soon. Also, by the way, I’m working on the kidfluencer bonus content - coming even sooner I hope and if you are a subscriber you’ll be the first to know. If not, why not rectify that right now?
Show notes
17-author paper: Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Jade Burley, Myrto Mavilidi, Steven J. Howard, Leon Straker, Lisa Kervin, Sally Staton, Nicole Hayes, Amanda Machell, Marina Torjinski, Brodie Brady, George Thomas, Sharon Horwood, Sonia L. J. White, Juliana Zabatiero, Clara Rivera and Dylan Cliff, 'Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis' (2024) JAMA Pediatrics doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2620; https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2821940?guestAccessKey=d9ef3589-dc0a-4a60-8704-9cfabb94ca76
The Big Trip review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/the-big-trip
The Big Trip availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/the-big-trip/
Zooming Out details: Anna Potter’s coauthored Conversation piece about Mermaids and Bin Chickens https://theconversation.com/i-pretty-much-already-know-what-australias-like-what-aussie-teenagers-told-us-about-not-watching-local-tv-231915; and the actual article https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X241254234; article about measuring Australianness TBA
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
We’ve probably all nearly collided with somebody who was doom-scrolling while walking, but physical risks from phones and social media don’t stop there. Our guest this week, Sam Cornell, is researching the physical risks from selfie-taking in beautiful but dangerous places. (The subject-matter is quite sad, so it might be worth reading the transcript before you listen, and having some supports around you in case it’s too upsetting.) We also discuss other risks, such as those arising from viral ‘challenges’.
As with Episode 44, we stick with the same topic through Paper Round and Zooming Out - and in between, Glenn is back with a movie review. This week it’s the 1950 version of Cinderella, but we’ve also got some links below to other versions of the story, just in case somebody in your family can’t get enough of princess stories. To all the wisdom Glenn imparts, I could add: you could point out to your kids that the tiny-footed one is a step-sister herself …
We’ve had a few new subscribers recently, which is great - why not introduce yourselves? It’s just as easy as clicking on this:
Feedback and comments are always welcome from all listeners, of course. And speaking of listeners, if you are one of those but not yet a subscriber, that too is easily fixed:
All the promised links follow. See you next week!
Show notes
Paper Round: Samuel Cornell, Robert Brander & Amy Peden, 'Selfie-Related Incidents: Narrative Review and Media Content Analysis' (2023) 25 Journal of Medical Internet Research e47202 https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e47202
Cinderella (1950) review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/cinderella-1950
Cinderella (1950) availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/cinderella-1950/
Cinderella (2015) review (10+): https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/cinderella
Cinderella (2015) availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/cinderella-2015/
Cinderella (2021) review (13+): https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/cinderella1
Cinderella (2021) availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/cinderella-2021/
Zooming Out (still talking to Sam Cornell, but here is the Conversation article): https://theconversation.com/from-selfie-injuries-to-viral-stunts-social-media-can-be-risky-for-children-could-a-ban-help-234393
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
This week we have an extended interview with gambling researcher (and podcaster) Matt Browne, about gamblification of computer games. What is this thing? Why does it keep getting a squiggly red line under it when I type it …? Well you can probably guess, it’s when developers build gambling-like mechanics into their games - and it’s something I’m sure we’ll hear more about, so the squiggly lines might stop before long. Matt is able to talk about both the science and the policy, so happy days for us solo podcasters.
In between, Glenn is back with another review, this time with (sort of) an upper age limit. Children under 7 will love Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups (and it’s available in lots of places) - older children, however …
If you have children of different ages, how do you balance their different needs and interests?
Show notes
Hing et al paper: N Hing, M Browne, M Rockloff, L Lole, & AMT Russell, ‘Gamblification: risks of digital gambling games to adolescents’ (2022) 6 Lancet Child and Adolescent Health 357-359; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00124-9
Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/paw-patrol-mighty-pups
Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/paw-patrol-mighty-pups-the-movie/
Zooming Out details: same as for paper round, but here is a bonus link to Matt’s laboratory: https://www.facebook.com/cquegrl/; and Matt’s podcast Decoding the Gurus: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Thanks for listening to Outside the Screen! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
When you’re a parent trying to mediate your children’s internet use, is it helpful to be computer literate yourself? Seems like an obvious point, but as always, having research to back it up doesn’t hurt - especially if you want to have an influence on the broader environment outside your own family. Maybe you have taken steps to become more savvy yourself, maybe you’ve encouraged and supported other parents … let us know!
In the movie review, Glenn has a close look at the 2017 Disney remake of Beauty and the Beast, spurring reflection on the difference between animation and live action - always from a child development perspective.
And finally, Liz returns to a place where she’s spent a lot of time: the world of food marketing. Yes, she did appear on the side of a cereal box as a child, but this is about the *actual* world, as in the United Nations. Liz reviews a recent analysis that concluded we are way better off looking at food ads and their impacts on children’s diet as a human rights issue, not (just) a health issue. Listen to find out why, and if you know anybody who’s concerned about this, here is a button that makes it devilishly easy to
Show notes
Croatian paper: Leonarda Banic and Tihomir Orehovacki, 'A comparison of parenting strategies in a digital environment: a systematic literature review' (2024) 8(4) Multimodal Technologies and Interaction Published April 2024
Beauty and the Beast review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/beauty-and-the-beast
Beauty and the Beast availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/beauty-and-the-beast-2017/
Zooming Out details: Fiona Sing, Sally Mackay, Margherita Cinà and Boyd Swinburn, 'The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments' (2023) 19:45 Globalization and Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00939-4 https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-023-00939-4
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let me know if it’s not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Thanks for listening to Outside the Screen! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
What kind of content do little children watch on YouTube, and how can parents and carers find the good stuff? Some recent research gives an idea what to look for.
Also in this episode, we start getting to know Glenn, who’s going to be doing the movie reviews. This week we hear why Happy Feet is recommended for children aged 12 and up (PG for 8-11). More background info on Glenn coming soon in a note.
Finally we zoom out to look at kidfluencers, or children who have a large social media following - usually driven and curated by their parents. How can the law protect them? Liz discusses an article that looks at employment law, but argues that child protection probably has better tools available.
As always, Liz is really keen to get your feedback - especially on this new format for the podcast since Kim moved on. So why not …
Show notes
Henderson et al paper: Dahlia Henderson, Talia Bailes, Julie Sturza, Michael B. Robb, Jenny S. Radesky and Tiffany G. Munzer, 'YouTube for young children: what are infants and toddlers watching on the most popular video-sharing app?' (2024) Frontiers in Developmental Psychology doi: 10.3389/fdpys.2024.1335922 Published 14 May 2024
Original YouTube study: J Radesky, A Schaller, S Yeo, HM Weeks, and M Robb, Young kids and YouTube: how ads, toys, and games dominate viewing (2020) San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2020_youngkidsyoutube-report_final-release_forweb_1.pdf
Happy Feet review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/happy-feet
Happy Feet availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/happy-feet/
Kidfluencers paper: Marina Masterson, 'When play becomes work: child labor laws in the era of "kidfluencers"' (2021) 169 (2) University of Pennsylvania Law Review 577-607
Toddlers & Tiaras: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1364951/; and in Australia, watch here: https://www.9now.com.au/toddlers-and-tiaras
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let us know if we’re not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA Facebook community.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
This episode is a bit of a sad one, because it’s Kim’s last as co-host. We’re hoping he will come back and share his wit and wisdom from time to time, but mostly he’ll be off devoting the necessary time to his practice, family … you know, all that other stuff.
Meanwhile, listen out for a paper he describes as ‘really cool’, where some researchers are trying to find a way to measure the addictive elements of games, just like we measure calories in food. How does this sound to you, can you imagine a measure like that helping parents?
The movie reviewed is the 2019 animated adventure UglyDolls; and Liz Zooms Out to look at the European Parliament’s recent resolution on addictive design of digital services and social media. It includes some very useful practical suggestions for how regulation can help us get the best out of those services while avoiding the negative effects on consumers (especially children). It also sparks Liz’s reflection on how users might get the benefit of a consumer law approach … just as long as we can call social media users ‘consumers’.
Liz will be taking a short break now to adjust to her new circumstances - why not subscribe to make sure you get an email when the pod cranks up again?
It won’t be long, but suggestions of course are always welcome about what you’d like to see change, and what you’d like to stay the same.
Show notes
19-author paper: Nirav Saini, Cam Adair, Daniel L King, Daria J Kuss, Douglas A Gentile, Hyoun S Kim, Jeremy Edge, Joël Billieux, John Ng, Juliana PS Yun, Lisa Henkel, Linda Faulcon, Michelle Nogueira, Rune KL Nielsen, Shannon Husk, Shawn Rumbl, Trey R Becker, Zsolt Demetrovics and David C Hodgins, ‘Development of the Saini-Hodgins Addiction Risk Potential of Games (SHARP-G) Scale: An International Delphi study’ (2024) Journal of Behavioral Addictions DOI: 10.1556/2006.2024.00026
UglyDolls review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/uglydolls
UglyDolls availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/ugly-dolls/
Zooming Out details:Committee report, including Explanatory Memorandum https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0340_EN.html#_section1;Parliament Resolution https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0459_EN.html;Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Social_Media/SocialMedia
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let us know if we’re not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Kim’s clinic
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Isn’t 40 an excellent number? We would feel like celebrating if it weren’t for the fact the Zooming Out story this week is so very, very sad. The opioid crisis in the US is troubling enough, without there being young people who meet their dealers on social media - at least that’s what is being alleged in a lawsuit, brought by the families of young people who suffered fatal overdoses of fentanyl. Liz takes us through the details of the suit, as well as offering reflections on how legal processes can be used to get accountability for tech companies.
Liz and Kim also reflect on some Norwegian research about the effects of typing and handwriting on your brain (don’t chuck those pens out yet!), and Mike is back with another review. This one is about the movie that launched a million vegetarians …
Show notes
Norwegian paper: FR (Ruud) Van der Weel and Audrey LH Van der Meer, 'Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom' (2024) 14 Frontiers in Psychology 1219945 DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945
Babe review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/babe
Babe availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/babe/
Lawsuit regarding alleged drug sales: https://socialmediavictims.org/press-releases/smvlc-and-c-a-goldberg-pllc-amend-neville-complaint/; https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/families-lawsuit-snapchat-alleging-platform-enables-drug-dealers/story?id=106076434&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=82ea8b83-a4b5-4cb4-8f95-baf5b6694aaf; https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/families-sue-snapchat-parent-company-drug-delivery-deaths-96848024
The miniseries mentioned is The Long Shadow, originally shown on ITV in the UK and available on Stan in Australia.
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let us know if we’re not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title -alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Kim’s clinic
Mike’s radio show, Route 66 on Radio Adelaide
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
Welcome to the solstice edition of Outside the Screen! (Whether it’s the summer or the winter one, we’ll leave it up to you, but from us a big hint: brrrrr!)
In this week’s edition of Paper Round we look at what can happen to your body when you spend a lot of time on videogames. The research in the paper is about the risk factors for things like neck pain and hand pain, but Kim has some stories from his own practice, too.
The movie review is about everybody’s favourite cartoon bee - a movie suitable for all but the very youngest children - and Liz takes us through some of the issues that are arising in the review of the Online Safety Act. (Watch this space for a note linking to the submissions she has just completed (yes, she did get it all done in time!))
There is a lot going on, and a lot of interest in all the things we talk about on the podcast - we really hope that our discussions help you feel like you can engage and be a part of it all. Of course if you have any questions you’re very welcome to hit this button here:
Regular listeners will notice we have brought in a few changes this episode - they are in response to some really helpful feedback we received. Let us know if you notice the difference, and if you think it’s an improvement - or if there is anything else we can do to make the listening experience as good as it can be.
Show notes
Leung et al paper: Janni Leung, John B. Saunders, Daniel Stjepanovic, Calvert Tisdale, Caitlin McClure-Thomas, Jason Connor, Matthew Gullo, Andrew P. Wood and Gary Chung Kai Chan, ‘Extended hours of video game play and negative physical symptoms and pain’ (2024) 155 Computers in Human Behavior 108181 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108181
Maya the Bee: The Honey Games review: https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/maya-the-bee-the-honey-games
Maya the Bee: The Honey Games availability in Australia: https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/maya-the-bee-the-honey-games/
Zooming Out details: Review of Online Safety Act https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/statutory-review-online-safety-act-2021; and see our Episode 12 here
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let us know if we’re not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA)
You can find the Children and Media Australia Know Before You Go service via this link.
Then, depending what you’re looking for, you can sort the list or search by title alphabetically, by age suitability, by classification or by date added. All of the reviews are prepared by people with training in child development, and they cover every G and PG title released in Australian cinemas since 2002, as well as selected M-rated movies and some pre-2002 ones that are available on streaming services.
Or at this link, you can access Know Before You Load – reviews of game style apps and apps that may appeal to young children. These cover some extra things that are relevant to games, like data collection and gambling-like content.
You might also like to sign up for our KBYG Weekly newsletter about the latest reviews, and join the CMA facebook community.
Kim’s clinic
Thanks for reading Outside the Screen Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe -
This episode concludes our series on screens and schooling. Liz and Kim look at a paper about what school leaders went through in the most locked-down city in the world; and then Liz interviews an alum of a school that had (and still has) some major restrictions on tech use by students. What’s it like when you have to do everything longhand and you know that students in other schools are tapping away on laptops? Do you struggle when you get to uni?
Show notes
Edith Cowan paper: “Mummy is meeting a teacher, play on the iPad”: Reflecting on educational leadership during COVID-19 lockdown in Australia' (2024) 38(1) Management in Education 35-39
Zooming Out: Check out this blog by the headmaster of Sydney Grammar School, Dr Richard Malpass
Find us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Substack
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
OR search your favourite listening platform (let us know if we’re not there! – outsidethescreenpod[at]gmail.com)
Children and Media Australia (CMA): Website; KBYG Weekly newsletter; Facebook
Kim’s clinic
Get full access to Outside the Screen Podcast at outsidethescreen.substack.com/subscribe - Montre plus
