Online Digital Parenting Program
Is your young person:
- Overusing screens – gaming, social media or devices?
- Addicted to gaming or social media or devices?
- More interested in screens than human interaction or other activities?
- Disengaging from friends & family?
- Aggressive when you ask them to stop using screens?
- Lashing out at you or other family members?
- Socially isolated or becoming so?
- Anxious?
- Emotionally dysregulated?
- Suffering with mental health issues?
- Underperforming academically?
- Unfocussed?
- Unmotivated?
- Not sleeping well?
- Tired but wired?
If your answer is yes to one or more of the above, and you’re thinking this is not how a young person should be – you’re absolutely right!
Have you ever wondered if any of these challenges could be connected to their screen use?
In today’s digital age, our young people are spending more time than ever before on screens.
We’ve never been here in all of human history – this is new!
Technology a is double-edged sword – it absolutely brings great benefits, convenience and entertainment, but at the same time it delivers another whole set of challenges for us, our young people & their families.
Christina Aguilera released a new video of her 2002 song ‘Beautiful’ in 2022 to highlight the impact of social media on young people’s mental health and body image since its original release 20 years ago. Her message at the end of the video reads:
“Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-ham and disordered eating in children and teens. This needs to change.”
I couldn’t agree more!
Our young people (or everyone actually!) find screens extremely compelling – but why?
It’s not an accident – they were strategically designed that way on purpose!
Instant gratification, stimulation, bright colours, sounds & interactive features are irresistible to young people (and adults), whose brains are wired to seek novel experiences & rewards, which screens provide in abundance.
Young people can lose themselves in the online landscape, where they feel more powerful and in control, when in reality the opposite is actually true.
What’s happening inside their brain when they use screens and why do screens cause so much conflict in your family?
The latest research shows excessive screen time can have a range of negative effects on your young person’s developing brain including:
- higher risk of depression
- increased incidence of anxiety
- sleep disturbances
- physical health issues – obesity, poor posture, eye strain etc
- dysregulated mood & emotions
- social & emotional development
- the ability to form meaningful relationships & develop empathy
- lack of concentration
- disconnection from families & relationships
- increased conflict
Screen use is not a neutral activity. Its effects can be damaging!
We can see then that the importance of creating healthy digital habits is crucial.
Do you wish you could finally regain control of your family’s life and end the constant conflict?
Would you like to reclaim your young person and help them shift to
- A healthier relationship with digital media?
- Reclaiming their mental health?
- Calming their nervous system and anxiety?
- Improving their overall well-being & physical health?
- Reconnecting with family & friends?
- Engaging more socially?
- Broadening their interests?
- Increasing their motivation?
- Improving their focus & attention?
- Optimising their academic performance?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, please explore my online 6-week Digital Parenting Program, where you will not only learn the WHY, but the HOW to
- Rescue your young person from screen overuse/addiction
- Reset their brain
- Reclaim their mental health & physical well-being
- Reconnect with family & friends
- Maintain a healthy relationship with devices
- Create a digital safety plan that works for your young person
- Reclaim your young person’s potential so they can live life to their full potential!
I’M READY TO RESCUE MY YOUNG PERSON!
Once you know the harms you WILL want to find a solution!
Once you understand the neuroscience that connects screen use with what’s happening in your young person’s brain, you will quickly gain the incentive and motivation you require to do something about it. Fast!
That’s why I’ve created the online 12-week Digital Parenting Program – to help young people disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with themselves and their real world.
Over the course of my online 12-week Digital Parenting Program you will be guided through a step-by-step process to reduce screen time, break unhealthy digital habits, and develop healthier routines that will improve your young person’s overall well-being.
I WANT TO RESET MY YOUNG PERSON’S BRAIN!
Finally … Your Solution!
My 12-week Online Digital Parenting Program
- is an online course to support you to transform your young person’s relationship with technology, with you and with their life!
- will help you eliminate family conflicts over screen use and create more peace in your home!
- will provide you with information about the effects of screen use, as well as what healthy screen use looks like and how to navigate the challenges you will face when weaning your young person off screens.
- will assist you to discover the right balance between the use of beneficial technology and the removal of toxic technology in order to benefit your young person the most.
- is designed for parents of ALL young people, whether they have a diagnosis or not, as screen time issues affect all of us, but be aware, those with ADHD or Autism may be more at risk for screen overuse and it’s negative impacts.
A few of the benefits you can expect from the Digital Parenting Program include
Is the Digital Parenting Course for me?
This Digital Parenting Program is designed to help and support YOU to navigate the path forward in the challenge of supporting your young person to shift from overusing screens and technology to a healthier relationship with their tech moving forward in their lives.
- Whether your young person has a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism or not (but I am an ADHD Parenting expert so I have you covered)
- If your young person is a pre-teen, teen or young adult
- even if minimal screen use, including educational, is adversely affecting your young person
- If your young person has a full-on addiction to tech and spends more time on it than off it
- Even if you have set rules and boundaries in place around tech already
- Whether your young person acknowledges there’s a problem or not
- Whether you think they’ll be on board with it or not
- Whether it’s social media use, gaming or something else
- Whether it’s a small distraction or a huge one
- If you just want to teach your young person better tech habits for life in this ever-increasing technological world we live in
- If your child is very young and not yet using a device (rare!) – this will help you to be ready for later!
The Program will provide you with the tools and resources you need to succeed in what I know is a daunting and scary undertaking!
DIGITAL PARENTING IS JUST WHAT I NEED!
I’d like to get on board with the Digital Parenting but …
- I’m sure my young person won’t do it!
- What will other people say?
- How will it affect my young person?
- Removing technology from my young person’s life will cause a huge fight – it’s too hard!
- Won’t they lose touch with their friends without their devices?
We’ll cover all of these situations in the program and guide you through it step-by-step!
What’s the alternative to joining the Online 12-week Digital Parenting Program?
Intervention is hard and difficult – your young person won’t want to relinquish their devices and will likely resist – it’s a daunting undertaking – but consider the possible heartbreaking alternatives for your young person …
- Not fulfilling their potential in life?
- Continued unhealthy digital use habits for life?
- Becoming addicted to their device, gaming or social media, if not already?
- Remaining addicted to their device, gaming or social media?
- Continued family conflicts?
- Aggressive when you ask them to stop?
- Lashing out at you or other family members?
- Disengaged from friends & family?
- Social isolation, loneliness and lack of friendships?
- Difficulty finding a romantic partner?
- More interested in screens than with human interaction or other activities?
- Anxious?
- Emotionally dysregulated?
- Suffering with mental health issues?
- Underperforming academically?
- Unfocussed?
- Unmotivated?
- Not sleeping well?
- Tired but wired?
- Increasing physical health problems such as obesity, muscle wasting, posture, eye strain?
I think you’ll agree, none of the above outcomes are likely the alternatives you’d like for your young person and will ultimately be far more time-consuming and devastating for you and your young person.
These options are simply not viable options for most parents!
Yes your young person will no doubt resist!
They will complain!
Probably say they hate you!
But they will ultimately thank you for it!
How important is it to you to do what may be hard, but you know to be right for your family?
What would it mean to you to see your young person achieving their potential in life?
The earlier you start the easier it will be and the sooner you can rescue your child.
If your young person is now a young adult, it’s still not too late to help them.
We can harness technology and make it work for us, without it taking over our lives.
There is definitely a better way. Let me show you!
Are you ready to find out more about the effects of screens on your young person and want to finally make a change?
Then join me in the 12-week Online Digital Parenting Program!
I applaud you for taking the leap and look forward to taking your hand and supporting you within our community as you take this first step on the journey to taking back your young person’s life!
I WANT TO HELP MY YOUNG PERSON SUCCEED!
In my Online 12-week Digital Parenting Program you will
- Learn how screens impact your young person’s brain, behaviour & well-being
- Find community support from others travelling the same journey as you
- Find support and ask questions with myself & other participants in weekly group Zooms
- Join our exclusive Facebook group for program participants for long-term support
- Break the cycle of screen reliance
- Develop a healthier relationship with technology for yourself and your young person
- Experience both digital safety and freedom from technology
- Allow your young person the freedom to be disconnected and start enjoying the simple pleasures in life again
- Access all the information, support and resources you need to successfully complete a Digital Parenting
Join me on this transformative journey and give your young person the chance to start thriving, and living their best life and moving towards their potential today!
I’ve also created a Start Anytime Digital Parenting Program that provides all of the same content as the Interactive Digital Parenting Program but without the Facebook group and Zoom calls for those that don’t feel they need that extra support.
To find out when the next Digital Parenting Program is happening and the times for the group Zoom calls please head to the Events page
I’M READY TO JOIN THE DIGITAL parenting COMMUNITY!
Interactive Digital Parenting Program Details
- My program includes a variety of tools and resources to help your young person achieve these benefits and more.
- You’ll have access to online workshops and other exercises designed to help you develop new habits and routines that support your young person’s overall well-being.
- We’ll also provide ongoing support and encouragement throughout the program, so you’ll never feel alone in your journey. You don’t have to do it alone!
- You’ll be joining me and the others in the current intake for a 6 x 1-hour group Zoom calls to talk through the modules, ask questions, find support and solidarity during the Digital Parenting Program.
- You’ll join a community in our exclusive Facebook group who are going through the process alongside you.
- As the Program runs for longer, that community will grow and be there to provide more support and answer your questions, as other members will have been there and done that already.
- It will remain there for members who have completed the Program and need future support after the program has finished. So ongoing support will be available from other members after the 12-week program finishes.
- All of the materials and content from the Program will remain available to you for as long as you need them. If you need to revisit sections at a later date you can.
- All the content in the Program is understandable and user-friendly. Although it’s all based on science and research, there’ll be no jargon and we won’t get bogged down in the weeds of it.
- Whether your young person has ADHD or not, I’m here to help you achieve your goals for your young person, to enable them to live a happier, healthier life.
- The course is divided into 6 modules and then broken down further into smaller bite sized, easy to understand and follow lessons.
- These lessons are available as video and downloadable as audio. However, you prefer to learn, you’ll be covered!
- Each lesson concludes with a summary of what we’ve covered as a bite-sized takeaway.
- You’ll be provided with tools and strategies to help you follow through with the steps required.
Alongside each lesson you’ll find useful:
- Handouts
- Checklists
- Workbooks
- Activities to support you in your journey
- Links to further reading, products and resources that you might find useful
Start Anytime Digital Parenting Program Details
Perfect for those who just want the course content i.e. video, audio, instructions, worksheets, and don’t feel the need for the added support from the Facebook group and group Zoom calls.
This course includes everything in the Interactive Digital Parenting Program apart from the group Zoom calls and Facebook group.
- Building blocks of a healthy brain
- The power of screens
- Our brains on screens
- It's not all in your head
- Defining digital parenting
- Taking Stock - assessing where you're at and where you want to go
- Developing your digital reset plan
- Telling your young person about the digital reset plan
- Preparing to reset
- Creating healthier digital habits
- Becoming a coach
- Managing meltdowns
- Restore interests
- Reconnect your family
- Checking in
- Coping with stress
- Keep going
- Sleep optimisation
- Collaborative & Proactive Solutions
- Facetime - supporting your young person's social skills
- Reflection time
- Creating your healthy digital lifestyle plan
Are you ready to take the first step towards a digital parenting and reclaim your young person’s life?
Enrol in my 12-week Online Digital Parenting Program today!
About your course creator and Program facilitator
I‘m Vivian Dunstan
* Founder of ADHD Support Australia
* Certified Tech Addiction & Digital Health Educator (NIDHW)
* Certified PEERS Teen & Young Adult Social Skills coach
* ADDCA trained ADHD Coach
* Facilitator of Parenting Children with ADHD course
* Certified NeuroACT program provider
* Masters of Teaching (Primary)
* Former RAISE high school mentor
* Hosted 140+ expert ADHD talks
* Experienced Mum of ADHD child, teen & young adult
* Lived experience with ADHD
* Supporting the ADHD community since 2013
Why am I passionate about reducing young people’s screen time?
As a parenting expert, I’ve been facilitating the Parenting Children with ADHD 6-week course since 2015. Screen use is definitely the number one problem I see parents struggling with.
It is the key reason parents identify as causing unwanted or aggressive behaviours, melt-downs, tantrums and family conflict. These are the impacts parents can readily connect to screen use, so I’m not including the impacts they don’t connect here.
It’s also the major currency parents use as a reward (more screen time) or a consequence (removing screen time) for their young people.
I interact and work with parents, teens & young adults struggling with social skills and making and keeping friends through my PEERS Social Skills for teens & young adults program.
Finding it challenging to find their place socially – I see teens and young adults searching for social connection and looking online to find connections and, perhaps, a sense of control over their lives via an online virtual world.
Unfortunately stepping further away from the real world serves to further disconnect them from their peers, siblings, families and away from real life pursuits and activities and they find themselves less socially connected than ever.
Their increased screen use further fuels the vicious cycle by causing further social challenges via
- nervous system dysregulation
- less real-life social interactions
- less opportunity to practice social skills and create friendships
An increase in social isolation, anxiety and depression sadly often follow.
I understand how parents wrestle with the dilemma of feeling loathe to take away what appears the only activity their young person finds pleasure in, whilst knowing in their heart that their young person isn’t reaching their potential and living their best life alone, in their room, in a virtual world with the divide continuing to widen.
Bearing witness to this over the years, made me so sad for these families and young people, so I decided to delve deeper into this topic.
I became more educated and informed by becoming a Certified Tech Addiction & Digital Health Educator through National Institute of Digital Health & Wellness (NIDHW).
Since I’ve begun discussing the effects of screen time in more depth as a possible cause for some behaviours during our weekly group Zoom calls in my Interactive Parenting course, I’ve started hearing parents further confirm this is their experience – that screen time triggers poor behaviour, meltdowns and conflict and that when screen time is limited or restricted, behaviour and family life improves.
I had in fact been witnessing and hearing this all along, but didn’t fit the piece solidly into the puzzle until I looked into it further.
I realised that if I truly wanted to help parents, families and young people fully thrive, I needed to create a separate program where parents, if they chose to, could be both educated and supported to implement a solution to what is an extremely challenging endeavour – to achieve freedom from the overuse of screens and devices.
We have accepted screens becoming a ubiquitous part of lives, more or less without question. We regard technology as innovative and inevitable, but rarely with caution.
You are the first iGen parents. The first parents in history whose children are digital natives – who have grown up immersed in technology.
The proliferation of technology has happened to us so quickly, we haven’t had time to understand the impacts or get to grips with grappling with any resulting problems.
Few warn us of any harmful impacts and therefore we are largely unaware, even if our gut instinct is telling us otherwise.
If your doctor, mental health professional or educator isn’t asking about your young person’s screen use as part of their assessment or treatment – why would you think to question it?
I’m happy to question the status quo and bring you the information you need to make informed choices on behalf of your family. Always have. Always will.
Join me for my recent webinar: “Digital Dilemma: Understanding the Impact of Screen Use on Young People’s Mental Health & Well-Being” here to learn more.
Disclaimer: The Online 12-week Digital Parenting Program is not able to diagnose any addiction or mental health issues. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not a replacement for the professional support needed for any mental health challenges you or your young person are experiencing. Please seek professional mental health advice in relation to your individual situation.
Professional Memberships:
International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Australia ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA)
Victorian ADHD Interest Group (VAADHDIG)
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
