Talking to teens about screen time, online safety, and wellbeing

7 tips from our MD Suzi Bell

Do you read Kiddo's Educate magazine? If so, you might remember seeing our MD, Suzi, featured in an earlier edition in 2025. In the article, she shared her thoughts on screen time, online safety, and mental health and wellbeing for teenagers.

With that feature now buried beneath newer editions, we thought it was the perfect time to revisit her key takeaways and share them right here on our blog.

When might these tips be useful?

Knowing what to discuss with teenagers when it comes to screen time, online safety and mental health isn't always easy. Suzi's tips highlight the types of topics that can be used to start and maintain important conversations.

Just as importantly, she knows that having these conversations isn't always easy.

“Keep calm and carry on conversing,” is her advice if you're finding it hard to start or build important discussions.

If the traditional 'sit down and talk' approach isn't working, she suggests: “Try the car if you sense them shutting down when you're looking at them directly. Or go for a walk.”

Giving them the opportunity to speak, especially about more sensitive topics, when they don't have to make or hold eye contact can help conversations start and flow more easily.

7 tips to prompt and guide conversations about screen time, online safety and wellbeing

Below, we share seven tips that may help support and guide important conversations with teenagers. The seventh tip is especially for parents.

Tip 1: Be careful what you click on

“Point out how easy it is to get exposure to the wrong kind of content.”

Suzi highlights a statistic from the eSafety Commissioner report, Mind the Gap: Parental Awareness of Children's Exposure to Risks Online (2022), which found that 62% of young people aged 14-17 had been exposed to harmful or negative online content.

Tips to help reduce the chance – or minimise the impact – of exposure may include:

• Advising teens not to click on links shared by unknown and untrusted sources – for example, a link sent by someone they don’t know in real life on a gaming chat.

• Creating a safe space that welcomes and encourages open conversations about any inappropriate content that they may have been exposed to.

• Teaching them about protecting their privacy and cybersecurity.

Tip 2: Excessive screen use comes at a cost

“Getting better at something feels good and boosts our confidence”, Suzi reminds us. “But you rarely get better at something unless you put in the time.”

She suggests reminding your teens that spending hours on devices takes time away from honing their skills.

Online checking behaviours can also be a huge distraction when studying. Regular thoughts about checking, and checking behaviours themselves, can divert attention and cognitive resources, which may affect learning and academic performance over time.

Tip 3: Make time for in-person

“When we interact online, we miss out on the key facial expressions and body language that we get with people face-to-face.”

Social skills are developed and refined, and in-person interactions offer opportunities to further enhance our ability to recognise and respond to social cues. Spending time talking to people and nurturing friendships in real life can be positive for our mental health and wellbeing, as well as for our ongoing personal development.

As well as this, spending time with friends and others in person allows teenagers to feel a little more familiar with a ‘fuller picture’ of people’s lives. Online – particularly on social media platforms – teenagers are shown an edited snapshot of someone’s life – this can lead to comparisons or a less-than-realistic idea of others’ day-to-day life.

Suzi states: “Discuss that what they see on social media is merely a snapshot of life, not reality.”

On the flipside, for teenagers with access to social media, an unbalanced focus on the value of likes or reactions (positive and negative) can impact their wellbeing and confidence. Suzi notes that it’s just as important to remind them that “online validation is not a reliable indicator of popularity or merit.”

Tip 4: Remember that sleep is essential

“Excessive screen usage can have implications for our sleep, and sleep is essential for both our physical and mental health,” Suzi cautions.

A lack of sleep – often classified as less than 8-10 hours a night – can impact a teenager’s alertness, learning ability, working memory, and their concentration span.

So, how can we help our teenagers get the best possible sleep? Stay screen-free for an hour before bedtime and keep devices out of the bedroom while they sleep.

Tip 5: Don’t forget to move and practice mindfulness

“Any sort of movement helps the body and mind relax,” Suzi reveals. “Teach your children to become aware of what is happening in the moment – thoughts, feelings, and body sensations – through mindfulness and relaxation practices.”

Suzi recommends body scans, highlighting just how good they are for “bring[ing] awareness to physical sensations.”

We’ve also included a few mindfulness exercises that may be helpful when emotions are running high –

Tip 6: Work as a family to set limits

Setting limits and encouraging new behaviours may be easier to do and maintain when everyone in the family is involved.

“Consider creating a screen time management plan that will allow you to set and track goals with your children,” Suzi tells us.

She also floats the idea of a digital detox – this doesn’t have to occur every day, even just a night or two a month when the whole family practices a ‘digital devices off’ policy.

…But what about school holidays?

As parents, we know that there are going to be times where increased screen usage becomes (almost!) inevitable. Suzi suggests planning ahead: “make a list of alternative activities” and continue encouraging and having conversations about screen time behaviours.

After reading this, you might be wondering: when it comes to screen time, how much is too much? Research highlighted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies recommends no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time (non-schoolwork) for children and young people aged 5-17.

Tip 7: Be kind to yourself

And Suzi's final tip is for you.

She encourages parents to remember: “Don't be too hard on yourself. Directing our children in the digital world can be tough. But we're all in this together.”

We know that mum and dad guilt can creep in from time to time, especially after a challenging moment or a difficult day. Being a parent isn't easy. Remember that tomorrow is a new day. Take a moment for yourself (if you can), get a good night's sleep, and start afresh in the morning.

Support for teens and parents

It's not easy being a parent. And it's not easy being a teenager, either. Our experienced psychologists provide 1:1 psychological support for tweens, teens, and parents.

Whether you need a safe space to talk through your concerns or want to build skills for everyday challenges, our team is here to provide personalised, goal-oriented, and confidential support at our Adelaide practices in Parkside and Salisbury.

Find out more about our psychology services, including the funding options that may be available to you, such as Medicare and private health insurance.

Meet Suzi, our MD

Wondering who's behind the tips in this blog post? Get to know our Managing Director, Suzi, by visiting her team profile.

Visit Suzi's team profile