Digital Rehab Tour Educates Students On Cyber Safety

Schools across the region are now more informed about the hazards of screen time addiction, ‘sextortion’ and other digital dangers that are impacting the well-being of children.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies found that children between four and five average more than two hours of screen time per day.

By the time they reach their teenage years, this has risen to more than three hours during the week and over four hours per day on the weekend.

This means that up to 30 per cent of the average Australian child’s wake time is spent in front of a screen.

The Queensland Police-led educational sessions, which were presented to 4,718 students, 260 teachers and 210 adults/parents over the past few weeks, are aimed at informing our community about the signs and symptoms of screen addiction.

Led by internationally respected speaker and expert in digital addiction, Brad Huddleston, the talks have opened the conversation and inspired changes in behaviour for many students.

Brad has been facilitating annual Digital Rehab and Cyber Safety tours in the region for over a decade and he teams up with this year’s Citizen of the Year, Sergeant Nigel Dalton, to provide information on both the education and the potential legal dangers of online safety.

During the talks, Brad shows attendees images of the brain which illustrates the neuroscience of how our brains are impacted by excessive screen time.

“Limiting screen time doesn’t work,” said Brad.

“You have to actually detox – cold turkey – for between four and six weeks in order for the brain to return to normal.”

Concerned that extreme screen time can lead to behavioural issues and angry outbursts, Brad says that because a child’s pre-frontal cortex is not fully developed, when dopamine floods the pleasure centre of the brain they have “no brakes”.

Brad is concerned that as the ‘metaverse’ starts to gain traction in the form of 3D goggles and 3D reality – children will sink even further into addiction.

Children in this state lack empathy, constantly say “I’m bored” and need more and more to stimulate their brains.

“It’s like a drug,” said Brad.

“They need to do more to achieve the same result and they get angry when you take the device away.”

During the sessions, Nigel also talks about ‘sextortion’ and while they were visiting local schools, two cases came in where unsuspecting teenagers had been targeted.

Sextortion largely involves an online relationship where a youngster is encouraged to film intimate acts and nudity then send the images or video to their online lover.

When the content is received the scammer will blackmail the teenager for money.

In one local case, a boy gave the scammer $500 of his savings and was only caught when he attempted to use his mother’s credit card.

As most of this originates from offshore perpetrators it is almost impossible for anyone to get their money back.

The Digital Rehab and Cyber Safety tour visits schools from Bowen to Sarina every year.

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Sergeant Nigel Dalton educates students about ‘sextortion’

Internationally respected speaker and expert in digital addiction, Brad Huddleston. Photos supplied

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