A Message from Kim
Justin Coulson - Happy Families
The Screen Smart Series - Unplug Childhood and Tweens, Teens & Screens
In today’s digital age, parents face unique challenges in guiding their children through the complexities of the online world. The Screen Smart Series will equip you with the knowledge and strategies you need to foster healthy relationships with technology.
Tuesday 29 October 2024
Session 1: 7pm | Unplug Childhood | For Parents of Primary School Children
Session 2: 8pm | Tweens, Teens & Screens | For Parents of High School Children
By offering two impactful presentations for the price of one, we are making expert mental health support more accessible than ever before. Dr. Coulson, Australia’s leading parenting expert, will deliver targeted advice relevant to parents of both primary school children and teenagers, ensuring that every family receives the guidance they need.
This webinar will offer help to navigate the digital landscape, set healthy boundaries, and empower your children to make responsible choices. Together, we can build a brighter future where screens enhance, rather than hinder, the wellbeing of our children.
Unplug Childhood
A presentation for parents of primary school aged children
In today’s digital age, our children face unprecedented challenges from social media and digital devices. Join us as we explore the urgent need to address these issues head-on. Social media companies have come under scrutiny for their failure to protect children, despite knowing the harm their platforms can cause. Dangerous algorithms push harmful content to vulnerable youth, impacting mental health and well-being. Screens not only disrupt academic performance but also displace crucial real-world experiences essential for healthy development.
While some advocate for legislative measures to restrict social media access for under-16s—a crucial step we fully support—implementing such laws takes time and faces significant technological and legislative hurdles. Parents cannot afford to wait. The majority of primary school-aged children already have social media accounts and smartphones, often violating existing age restrictions.
In this presentation, we discuss actionable strategies for parents and caregivers to navigate the digital landscape safely and effectively. From setting healthy screen-time limits to fostering open communication about online risks, empowering our children to navigate the digital world responsibly is more critical than ever. Together, we can take proactive steps to safeguard our children’s well-being in an increasingly digital world.
Tweens, Teens & Screens
Balancing Protection & Progress
No conversation about ‘kids these days’ has created more confusion and contention than the ‘screen-time’ discussion. How much is ok? How old should they be before they have a phone? Are games making our kids violent? Is social media destroying wellbeing?
Until now, our challenge has been that so much research is contradictory, there’s so little good-quality research, and there has been so much we simply don’t know. But all that is changing.
Join Dr Justin Coulson, one of the nation’s leading parenting experts, as he unpacks – step by step – the specific conclusions we can draw about our digital kids.
In this presentation you’ll discover:
- Why screen time is an unhelpful way to talk about kids and screens
- How boys and girls are affected differently by their screen use
- The true story about screens and social media
- The uncomfortable truth about boys and violent video games, and
- Why ‘the displacement hypothesis’ is the critical lever to pull in balancing screen use for our kids’ wellbeing
Tweens, Teens & Screens is the conversation the nation needs to have about our kids and their screens.
Register now -
https://happyfamilies.com.au/shop/product/the-screen-smart-series
Justin Coulson - Happy Families
Managing Challenging Behaviour
Thursday 12 September, 7pm-8pm
Individual tickets include 12 months recording access.
Feeling overwhelmed by your child’s challenging behaviour? Ready to shift from frustration to understanding and effective action? Join our interactive Qwebinar (Q&A/Webinar), “Managing Challenging Behaviour,” where we’ll explore proven strategies to navigate the complexities of parenting with compassion and confidence.
We’ll cover:
- Self-Regulation First: Learn to manage your own emotions and reactions, creating a foundation for effective parenting.
- Boundaries with Compassion: Discover how setting healthy boundaries is an act of self-love that benefits both you and your child.
- Understanding the ‘Why’: Uncover the root causes of challenging behaviour, considering age, development, and context.
- Practical Solutions: Learn practical strategies for addressing a spectrum of behaviours, from minor disruptions to serious concerns.
- Direct Answers: Get your burning questions answered directly by Dr. Justin Coulson himself during our live Q&A session.
Whether you’re dealing with tantrums, defiance, or more serious concerns, this Webinar will equip you with the tools and insights to foster a more peaceful and harmonious home environment.
Register now - https://happyfamilies.com.au/shop/product/qwebinar-managing-challenging-behaviour
Michelle Mitchell
What To Do When Kids Don’t Like Their Body
When: Wednesday 18th SeptTime: 7:30 – 9:00pm Cost: $35.00 Access: You can watch it live or watch the replay. It is yours to watch and view as many times as you want for the next 3 months.
WHAT IS THIS WEBINAR ABOUT?
During the tween and teen years our kids undergo significant shifts in the way they think about food, exercise and sleep. They are significantly more vulnerable to eating disorders, and body dissatisfaction which can have a significant impact on their mood and participation in activities. As parents we can feel lost as to what to say, and not say, and how to approach this sensitive space.
In this webinar Nick is going to lend us his expertise as we discuss:
- What can parents expect during the tween and teen years? What is normal and when should they be concerned and seek help.
- How should we respond if our kids feel dissatisfied with their body. Is there is list of suggested ‘do’ and ‘do not’ language to follow?
- Is there a difference between what our boys and girls experience when it comes to body image?What does the research suggest in terms of specific considerations when dealing with boys and girls?
- What role can technology play in how our kids feel about themselves, and what are our options when it comes to this influence?
- What is the correlation between our kids’ diet, movement and sleep? What does the science offer in terms of these three things.
- How do we respond if we know our tweens or teens are comfort eating, and we feel it is becoming an issue?
- How could we help a tween or teen who is being called fat (or any other number of related words), and it is having an obvious impact on them?
- If a family doesn’t have a sporty kid and they are concerned they aren’t moving enough, what are the options? How much movement is enough?
- What would you say to a family who knows they don’t have the best eating habits but is finding it hard to make changes that ‘stick’.
- We will also ask some pointed questions around eating disorders, including BED, anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
- And much more of his wisdom!
Knox Youth Hive - School holiday activities for young people
Looking for activities for young people aged 10 - 25 years to connect, engage and participate during these school holidays? The Knox Youth Services team will be running a range of activities these school holidays. These free events are for young people who live, work, study or have a connection to Knox.The activities will be run at the Knox Youth Hive located within the Knox Library at Westfield Knox (level 3). Activities include a cartoonist, dance afternoon, special effects makeup workshop and a craft workshop.For any questions or further information, contact the Knox Youth Services team on 9298 8000 or email youth@knox.vic.gov.au or click here -