Expert reveals Australia's average family screen time - with one alarming detail you should know

When it comes to screen time, experts recommend a maximum of 14 hours per week for children over the age of five.

But in a shocking result, Australian families were reporting upwards of 44 hours per week – and that's just from one child.

In the video above, Parental Guidance expert Dr. Justin Coulson breaks the results down.

During an episode of Parental Guidance, four everyday Australian families with four very different parenting styles, underwent a digital reality check.

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They tallied up their kids' individual screen times comparing the both alarming and surprising results with the other families and the recommended guidelines.

Parenting expert Dr. Justin Coulson warns that with screen time being one of the most critical issues facing families today, it poses big consequences for our children.

"Current research points to a negative relationship between excessive screen use and mental health," he revealed.

"With daily recommended screen time for a child over five, no more than two hours, it's important to know just how much screen time they are really getting," he explained.

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One family that stood out most describes their parenting style as 'Pro-tech Parenting'.

Unlike most kids, their 12-year-old son Kyan is a content creator.

Under the supervision of his parents, Kyan runs his own social media business and reported a weekly screen time of 44 hours and 30 mins.

His results revealed a maximum screen time of 16 hours in just one day.

Kyan revealed he used that screen time to edit and create online content for his business.

This of course, was one example and not a reflection of the whole nation. Further examples can be found at the bottom of the page.

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But what surprised the parents most in the focus group, was that the parents' screen time, which was often the most in the family, had just a negative effect on their children.

"Kids who report that their parents are spending a lot of time on their devices, specially smart phones, have significantly higher levels of mental health disorders," Dr. Coulson revealed.

Like Kyan's case above, Dr. Coulson pointed out: "However, what you're doing on the screen matters."

So how exactly do you tackle and limit your family's screen time?

Dr. Coulson shares his number one tips in the video below:

5 tips to reducing yours and your child's screen time:

• Turn off notifications
• Delete the apps
• Leave the phone in another room
• Switch to a pin to unlock instead of facial recognition
• Keep your kids off social media until at least age 16

"Social media is the big issue especially for our teenagers," Dr. Coulson explained. "Data points really clearly to a relationship between increase social media use and increase ill being.

He concluded: "The recommendation is that kids aged five and up spend no more than 14 hours maximum in recreational screen time per week."

The average screen time of Australian families

How did the other Australian families fare?

Emma (14) and Rose (12) come from a family with a strict limit on screen time. Their parents don't allow social media or smart phones.

Layla (13), Marshall (10) and Keoni (8) are raised by 'Active Parents' who chose "fun and outdoor activities over screens" which means no social media.

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Their parents admitted the results were higher than they'd like to be, realising perhaps that screen time "creeped in".

Lenny (13), Archer (12), Eddy (12) and Murphy (9) are raised in an 'Upfront Parenting' household.

This parenting style is based around old school values, like good manners and routine but with a modern twist of being upfront in their communication with their kids.

But screen time wasn't the only tough conversation that was discussed.

In the videos below, those same families were confronted with the realities of online bullying and the world of AI:

If you or someone you know needs immediate or mental health-related support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Parental Guidance airs Mondays at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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