Survey: Kiwi Parents Concerned About Kids' Tech Use

eading health insurer nib New Zealand (nib), has released further findings from its fourth annual State of the Nation Parenting Survey.

The survey, which nib conducts annually with global research company, One Picture, canvassed the views of 1,226 parents, step-parents and guardians of children under 18, nationally.

This year the survey shows technology use continues to nag at parents, with the real impacts on health and wellbeing increasingly evident.

Technology use remains the number one worry for 70% of parents, with 24% ‘extremely concerned’. The amount of time kids’ spend online worried 75% of parents; inappropriate content (74%), online bullies and predators (66%) and the negative impact on health and wellbeing (47%) were also issues.

Technology use and the impact of screen time is the number one concern for 70% of parents surveyed - down from 87% in 2020, and 89% in 2019
Almost half (47%) said negative impact on health and wellbeing is a particular worry
Yet, 50% said they spent too much time on their own devices, and 66% admit to relying on screens as a bargaining chip and to distract children

Read the full article on nib website.

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Although many youth may not be harmed by heavy SMU, distressed youth may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of reducing SMU on smartphones on symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep in youth with emotional distress. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and FoMO, and greater increases in sleep.

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