A NEW community movement in Port Stephens is seeking to empower parents tp protect their children from the potential dangers of early smartphone exposure.
The idea for Port Stephens Unplugged was born from psychologists Kate Preston and business coach Barbara Everson, who found that their experience as parents navigating safe technology was extremely difficult.
Joined by Kate’s husband Mark and later by Dale Hourihan, they decided to create a new movement with what turned out to be a winning idea.
“This movement aims to support parents who are navigating an increasingly complex digital world by providing practical tools, greater awareness and community events,” explained Mr Hourihan. “This is not a challenge that parents can solve alone; it requires a collective effort from families, schools, businesses and government.”
Port Stephens Unplugged is not anti-technology, but it advocates for collectively setting limits to allow children to experience connection, creativity and childhood, without singling anyone out.
“We’d always tried to set limits for our kids, but every new milestone brought a new challenge, because our values didn’t always match what their friends were doing or what their friends’ families allowed,” Ms Everson said.
“I realised we weren’t failing – we were just doing this alone, without a community around us that shared the same values.”
Ms Preston said that the goal of Unplugged is to empower parents and carers to make hard choices for the wellbeing of the next generation, like delaying the introduction of smartphones for as long as possible, following the eSafety Commissioner’s recommendations around screentime, social media and AI, and removing consent for schools to post children’s pictures on social media.
“Policy changes aren’t quick, but in the meantime, working from within our community to spread education and awareness is actionable now,” she said.
Port Stephens Unplugged is currently recruiting allied health partners, with the future goal of expanding the movement beyond Port Stephens.
In the meantime, parents and carers are invited to a community launch at St Philips Christian College in Salamander Bay on 24 August at 6pm, with Port Stephens Unplugged and Strive Hive Psychology presenting on the topic of technology and mental health.
Further information and signups are available on the Port Stephens Unplugged Facebook page.
By Nico LOMBARDO
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