Many students now have to provide their own devices for both primary and secondary school. Imogene Bedford examines how parents can manage the costs and risks of increased screentime.
Parents looking to purchase a device for their children are being confronted with an overwhelming market of options, with prices ranging from the low hundreds to the thousands.
Devonport mother Sarah Ostergaard spent an estimated $3000 on devices for two of her children and anticipates paying even more as they continue on to secondary school.
“When I first purchased my eldest daughter her first Chromebook back in Year 6, I wasn’t really given any guidelines at all, so I was kind of thrown in the deep end.”
While all device policies are different, PB Tech general manager Richard Elstob says tablets, Chromebooks and laptops tend to be popular options for secondary school.
“For most New Zealand schools, BYOD requirements are centred on compatibility with the school’s chosen learning platform, most commonly Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 on Windows.”
Ostergaard recommended parents looking to buy use websites like Price Spy to find the best deals.
“When I first bought them, I didn’t really know what I was buying,” she says, “so I didn’t really utilise that price comparison tool.”
She also suggested considering second-hand or refurbished devices as a cheaper alternative.
While Elstob said parents should expect to replace their children’s device every five years, he said devices could have a longer life when appropriately cared for.
“Using a protective bag or case, keeping food and drinks away from devices, and encouraging careful everyday handling can make a big difference to how long a device lasts.”
Some primary schools, like Huapai-based Matua Ngaru, offer loan devices to reduce the number parents need to purchase throughout their child’s education.
“We do ensure the school owns or leases some devices ourselves to ensure equitable access for all the children at Matua Ngaru School”, principal Stephen Grady says.
Mt Wellington mother Cara Roberts said her “device-mad” son, Aaron, spends as much as eight hours a day playing Roblox on his Chromebook.
Having bought the 11-year-old the device for school, she has been slowly limiting his screen time but admits it’s been “harder” since they entered emergency housing.
“It can be like pulling teeth trying to get him off it. But yeah, it is what it is.”
Julie Cullen, a master’s student at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, has researched the impact of device use on young people.
“Digital technology can certainly support learning when it’s age-appropriate and aligned with effective teaching practice”, she says, particularly for students with learning difficulties.
However, Cullen says studies indicate digital skills are actually in decline.
“We used to think kids were digital natives, and kids who learn to read online and use apps would be better at reading online later on, but now we know for most people, the reverse is true.”
She contributed to the 2024 Paediatric Society of New Zealand report recommending limits to the amount of screen time children have at school.
With Kiwi kids having higher screen use compared to their peers in other countries, Cullen says it is important to manage how children use their learning devices.
“Some health issues relate to screen time - the way we use screens or what screen use is replacing, so that means school and home screen time need to be considered together.”
Safety is also a pressing issue for parents like Roberts, who said she has had conversations with her son about adults posing as children on Roblox.
Cullen said evidence showed the risks of social media often outweighed the benefits for children and younger teens.
In Australia, a ban on social media for under 16s has already been instituted, coming into effect on December 10 last year.
She said other strategies will be needed to make communication platforms safe for children who need support or connection.
“Australia’s social media ban won’t be perfect, and there will be some problems with implementation, but it’s about changing norms.”
Families should consider applying the built-in parental controls offered by Google, Microsoft and Apple to oversee the content their children are being exposed to, Elstrob says.
“These tools are effective, but they do require parents to spend some time understanding and configuring the settings properly to ensure they’re working as intended.”
Tuesday: Devices
Wednesday: Lunches
Thursday: Transport
Friday: After-school activities