Concerns youth screen time and AI use far exceed guidance as experts propose rethink to school bans

It’s no secret that Australians are grappling with the rapid rise of digital technology, whether it’s excessive screen times at home, the inability to tell truth from fiction online, or the intractable impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on institutions and jobs.

Nearly everybody has more technology in their lives than they would like, and the barrier to entry is not only getting lower, but younger, with eSafety data showing a majority of children online before age four.

However while official guidelines recommend children aged five to 17 limit recreational, non-school screen time to two hours per day, many parents, students and teachers who responded to an ABC call out about the education system suggested such guidelines are out of touch, and do not reflect reality.

While screen time in excess of two hours a day is common, others say it’s just the tip of the iceberg, with the widespread use of AI to cheat, and interminable use of devices at home and in class now just a part of everyday life.

“Teachers claim to have AI detectors, but many people I know write essays and assessments with AI and still get top marks,” said 16-year-old Tasmanian private school student Jessica, who asked to use pseudonym. 

“Some teachers even use AI to write lesson plans or check for cheating, which kind of betrays the point of not using it and sets a bad example.”

But with digital technologies and AI only becoming more entrenched, some experts say that rather than cracking down on use, it might be time for a change.

‘I miss reading an actual book, drawing a proper picture’

Several call-out submissions spoke of students running one original essay through AI multiple times to obscure copied assignments.

On the topics of screen time and AI-assisted plagiarism, students like Jessica pointed to contradictory policies of requiring kids to have their own devices, or relying on online programs to complete assignments, while also trying to impose bans.

“AI usage is becoming an increasingly bigger part of [the problem]. And while I don’t agree with it, I don’t know what — if anything — can be done; by teachers, schools or the Department of Education.”

Other respondents said kids were foregoing sleep, using devices late at night and sometimes “waking up at dawn to get online”.

Mary, a Melbourne-based high school teacher with experience in both private and public schools who also asked to use a pseudonym, said excessive use of devices was common.

“That blew my mind.”

The educator said there were regular occurrences of “students watching Netflix in class, AirPods tucked behind hair”.

On AI, Mary said some students viewed it as “just another hack” to save time, similar to watching a film version of a set text instead of reading the book.

She said students often told her they didn’t have enough time to do assignments from scratch, but she believed they lacked time and focus due to unrestrained screen time at home.

Like many other parents, Dicle Demirkol, a mother based in Melbourne’s north-west, said she was not “against social media and the internet as they can be powerful tools” so long as kids were informed about their role in modern life, and that the education system evolved to meet that need effectively.

“As the world changes rapidly, so do our needs. With the internet and the constant exchange of (mis)information, I wonder if what [schools] offer will stay relevant in the future. 

However, rules intended to limit tech use and ban copy-and-paste plagiarism through AI are pointless, according to some students and educators.

In order to speak freely without fear of being penalised by schools, employers or the community, several teachers and students — like Jessica and Mary above — requested some level of anonymity.

“No matter how many different sites our school blocks, there is always something we can get to: YouTube, checking emails, reading news, playing Tetris… there’s never only one thing going on in the classroom,” one year 12 student in Queensland said.

“I feel as if I am teaching myself, and simply being supervised by a teacher.”

The student reiterated her traditional view quite simply: “Students should not be taught by a computer”.

Teachers told the ABC that unrestrained screen time and misuse of AI was ubiquitous, regardless of institution or school policy.

“Back in my day it would have been passing notes — this is well beyond that,” Mary said. 

Several tutors, often tasked with picking up lost school hours, also expressed concerns about “irresponsible use of technology” amid noticeable declines in attention spans, handwriting, spelling, and claims of reduced critical thinking skills.

But with modern life increasingly tech-dependent, many are divided on whether the answer is more bans and a return to low-tech teaching, or rapidly embracing its use, albeit with better-understood frameworks. 

‘It’s the nature of the task, not the tools’

Paul Haimes is a Perth-born associate professor of design at Ritsumeikan University in Japan who teaches a number of Australian exchange students — and he says the rapid adoption of AI caught everyone off guard.

“I, like many of my colleagues, was caught completely off guard by the sudden arrival of publicly-available AI applications like ChatGPT,” he told the ABC.

“At the very least, AI shouldn’t be used to undermine the objectives of a course or curriculum, but if there are ways that it could be utilised to support students’ learning that isn’t just a lazy shortcut for them, then it might be worth considering.

“Given the different types of assessment out there, the specifics are likely something best addressed at the course level, in line with a department or school’s other policies.”

For educators, AI has the potential to help in several ways, like assisting with repetitive administrative tasks, or helping design assessments and lesson plans.

Multiple teachers told the ABC the tools had already been a big help.

Education professor at Curtin University, Karen Murcia, underlined that electronic devices are crucial to modern life, and that it is important to be “reflective and transparent” about their use and potential, as well as that of AI.

“By withdrawing children from devices and the digital world, we might be denying them their basic rights, if we’re not empowering them with critical foundation skills for digital citizenship.”

She said it was important to accept technology can make aspects of traditional assignments redundant, and that AI can achieve things that no teacher in a physical classroom with 30 students can do, like providing tailored 24/7 tutoring and support.

“The question for me is, what is the nature of the assessments we’re giving to students? Are we asking them to be creative and innovative?” she said.

Asked whether screen time and sedentary behaviour guidelines were out of touch with modern expectations, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care said limiting sedentary activities was “essential for overall health and wellbeing” and to “reduce the risk of chronic disease”.

They noted that “the guidelines themselves acknowledge that meeting the recommendations may be challenging at times”, but the important aspect was to “ensure a healthy balance”, and find opportunities to be physically active whenever possible.

“Schools, school systems and teachers share a responsibility in how and when to use these tools,” the spokesperson said, with reference to the December 2023 framework for AI in schools. 

“Individual states and territories, and non-government school sectors, are responsible for rolling out the framework … [which] will be reviewed at least every 12 months so that it keeps pace with developments.”

There are also practical steps, released by the eSafety Commission, that parents can take to help kids maintain a healthy relationship with screens, while ensuring they get enough sleep and exercise.

Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told the ABC that “there really is no magic number” when it comes to how long you should let your child be on screens.

“It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important,” she advised.

“If it starts to get in the way of their sleep or their ability to get outside for fresh air and exercise, or if it starts impacting face-to-face connections with family and friends, then it might be time to sit down with your child to come up with a plan to strike a more healthy balance of online and offline activities.

She emphasised it was important to do this together “as young people are more likely to respond to rules that they have helped come up with”.

“And make sure as a parent you are setting a good example,” the eSafety Commissioner added.