Children need better mental health support during Covid - National Children’s Commissioner
A national survey examining the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people during the Covid-19 pandemic shows children and their families need better support from schools and mental health services.
The survey of 4559 children and 2976 parents/guardians and grandparents found that the pandemic had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing, with National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds saying "This survey shows that many children and young people missed out on critical support during the Covid-19 pandemic".
Exposure to worrying news, and increases in use of digital media were factors of concern. (see pp87-91 of thefull report).
Draft Online Safety Codes released for comment
Six industry groups have released the draft Consolidated Industry Codes of Practice for the Online Industry, Phase 1 (class 1A and class 1B material) for public consultation
The Online Safety Act 2021 (Act), which came into effect in January 2022, requires the development of codes by industry associations to regulate certain types of harmful online material, known as Class 1A and 1B material with reference to Australia’s classification scheme. This includes material promoting child sexual abuse, terrorism, extreme crime and violence, crime and violence, and drug-related content.
You can comment on the draft Codes until 2 October.
Once finalised, the draft Codes will be submitted for registration to the eSafety Commissioner. Registered codes are enforceable by the Commissioner.
Ads Standards dismisses complaints on scary trailers
The horror film Black Phone(MA15+) has been advertised by way of scary TV trailers on TV and via outdoor posters, causing complaints from parents whose children have been horrified by their graphic nature. To date, two separate sets of complaints (free TV and on-demand) have been lodged and dismissed. The trailers had been rated H by Clearads (a subsidiary of FreeTV Australia, and tasked with checking trailer content before screening) as supposedly suitable for showing in PG programs. The reasoning applied by theAds Standards panel reveals the total inadequacy of the current FreeTV and AANA codes in relation to the impact on children, of scary, terrifying, but not overtly violent content.
But on the other hand – Ad Standards is concerned about violence in ads
In its 2 August post, Ad Standards says “We’ve seen a few ads recently that are packing a little too much punch. In fact, in the first 6 months of 2022 violence was the top issue of community concern... Although the depiction of violence in an ad might be relevant to the creative idea, any violence must also be justifiable in the context of the product being advertised. If not, it will likely breach the AANA Code of Ethics.”
And if you’d like to know more about the way Ad Standards sees its role in ensuring ads meet community standards this video tells all.
AANA has a new CEO: Josh Faulks
Peak industry body the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has appointed Josh Faulks as its new chief executive officer. Faulks takes over from interim CEO Julie Flynn in October following an international search process. Faulks has a wide background including working at KPMG, ABC and with federal cabinet Ministers.
US: White House listening session on tech platform accountability
On Sep 8, the White House convened a listening session with experts and practitioners on the harms that tech platforms cause and the need for greater accountability. In the meeting, experts and practitioners identified concerns in six key areas: competition; privacy; youth mental health; misinformation and disinformation; illegal and abusive conduct, including sexual exploitation; and algorithmic discrimination and lack of transparency.
At the conclusion, staff said that the Administration will continue to work to address the harms caused by a lack of sufficient accountability for technology platforms.
Meta-owned companies rack up fines for violating children’s privacy
Politicoreports that the Irish Data Protection Commission has fined Meta-owned social media platform Instagram €405 million for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation. The penalty, currently the highest for a Meta-owned company — after a €225 million fine for WhatsApp and a €17 million fine for Facebook — is aimed at Instagram's violation of children's privacy, including its publication of kids' email addresses and phone numbers.
The original Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) enters public domain in US and...
The Hollywood Reporter tells us that there’s a new horror movie on the way: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer sees Pooh and Piglet go feral. Directed by Rhys Waterfield, the slasher film is based on AA Milne's 1926 children's stories and is produced by Jagged Edge Productions. Trailer here on IMDb.
Parents’ screen use impacts children
A new studyled by the University of Waterloo aimed to investigate the relationship between caregivers’ use of digital media, mental health, and parenting practices at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, caregivers spend three to four hours a day consuming digital media. The researchers found that caregivers with higher levels of distress engage in more screen-based activities and were more likely to turn to devices for relaxation. This consumption was correlated with negative parenting practices such as nagging and yelling. They also found that negative parenting behaviours were more likely when technology interrupted family interactions.
Privacy Is Hard and Seven Other Myths: Achieving Privacy Through Careful Design
Jaap-Henk Hoepman,Privacy Is Hard and Seven Other Myths: Achieving Privacy Through Careful Design. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2021; ix+ 261 pp ISBN 9780262045827, $29.95. Book review here.
Tricia Edgar on the medium is the message
The former Director of the Australian Children’s TV Foundation looks at todays’ screen content and use and asks hard questions.
Screen use and paediatric eye health
Screen use impacts the development of children’s eyesight. This video interview, with transcript, stresses that one useful thing is the importance of outdoor time.
IGEA webinar 21 September 1.00-2.00pm
Entertainment & Media Outlook, 2022-2026.In 2021 Australians spent more than on entertainment, media and internet access services than ever before and this growth is expected to continue. Learn how the games segment has performed and is predicted to perform in the next 5 years and how that compares to other entertainment sectors.
The Railway Children Return (PG) is a family drama set against the backdrop of World War II. The film raises some important subjects, such as racism and displacement by war, and, as such, is a good basis for parents to discuss these matters with their children.
Embrace Kids (G) is an eye-opening, Australian documentary from writer, director and positive body image crusader, Taryn Brumfitt. The film is aimed at children between the ages of 8-14, though its powerful messages are also important for older teens as well as slightly younger kids, as more and more children, from earlier ages, are being exposed to the subtle and pernicious effects of social influence and marketing.
The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) (M) is an Irish-language film with English subtitles, based on the Claire Keegan’s novella, Foster. The film is simply and exquisitely done. Due to the language and subtitles, this is not a film aimed at children but one that will be appreciated by older, mature audiences.
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