Young people are growing up in a digital environment that is reshaping attention, sleep, emotional regulation, social life and learning. The issue is no longer whether screens matter. The issue is whether adults fully understand how digital life is interacting with the developing brain, what it may be displacing in daily life, and what schools and families need to do to respond in more informed ways. Research with Australian children and adolescents points to rising screen-based activity, high rates of device use, and clear differences between healthier and more harmful patterns of engagement online.
This webinar is not about being for technology or against technology. It is about making its use more informed. Digital tools are part of young people’s lives, learning and relationships. But the evidence also shows that heavy or poorly regulated use can affect several of the conditions young people rely on to stay well and stay engaged: sleep, attention, emotional regulation, social functioning and recovery time. The type of use matters too. More passive use, such as prolonged scrolling and consuming content without meaningful interaction, is associated with poorer mental health outcomes than more active or socially connected use.
That is why this conversation needs to go beyond simple messages about “screen time.” The more useful questions are harder and more practical. What is digital use doing to sleep and concentration? What is it doing to emotional regulation and impulse control? What is it replacing in a young person’s day? When does online conflict start affecting school belonging, peer relationships and classroom functioning? And what education do schools and families need so they can respond with clarity rather than fear, confusion or hindsight? These are the questions this session is designed to address.
Hosted by Gemma McLean, and featuring Karen Roberston, Nikki Bonus and Dr Mark Williams this webinar will take a deeper look at the issues young people are facing in a high-stimulation, high-pressure digital world. A central part of the session will be a deep dive into the neuroscience led by Dr Mark Williams, exploring what current evidence suggests about screens and the developing brain, why attention, sleep, regulation and social functioning matter so much, and what adults need to understand if they want to reduce harm and support healthier development.
This is not a webinar about blame.
It is a webinar about curiosity, insight and action: what young people are facing, what may be changing, and how schools and families can work together in ways that genuinely make a difference.
The evidence is showing that the problem is not simply that young people are online more often. It is that digital load can begin to alter the conditions needed for healthy development and learning. When sleep is disrupted, attention is fragmented, emotional recovery is reduced, and online conflict is constant, the effects can show up in irritability, withdrawal, friendship strain, reactivity, reduced concentration, lower resilience and disengagement from school. Cyberbullying is part of that picture, but it is not the whole picture. Online life can also amplify social comparison, social pressure and exposure to conflict in ways that follow young people directly into classrooms and homes. Recent Australian reporting shows cyberbullying complaints have risen sharply, especially among students entering secondary school, and these issues are closely connected to what is happening in peer groups at school.
This is why schools cannot address the issue on their own, and families cannot either. Young people need adults around them to understand what is changing, what warning signs to look for, what boundaries and habits are worth strengthening, and what helps protect sleep, attention, connection and regulation. The response needs to be more joined up, more informed and more practical. It needs to help adults distinguish between digital use that supports learning and connection, and digital use that is beginning to undermine wellbeing, relationships and functioning. Resources developed for schools and families are increasingly moving in this direction: not anti-technology, but focused on healthy habits, critical use and earlier intervention when harm is building.
What this session will explore
what current evidence suggests about screens and the developing brain
how digital overload can affect sleep, attention, emotional regulation and learning
why the type of digital use matters, not just the number of hours
what may be getting displaced when digital life begins to crowd out face-to-face connection, movement, boredom and recovery time
how cyberbullying, online conflict and social comparison are affecting young people’s sense of safety, belonging and wellbeing
why this is not just a school issue and not just a family issue, but one that requires a more joined-up response
what schools and families can start doing now to support healthier digital habits, stronger regulation and better real-world connection
This session is for school leaders, educators, wellbeing teams and families who want a clearer, evidence-informed understanding of what young people are facing, what the science is pointing to, and what actions are most likely to help.
Because when adults understand more about what digital life is doing to attention, regulation, relationships and learning, they are in a much stronger position to respond earlier, work together better, and make technology use more informed, more balanced and more supportive of healthy development.
Nikki Bonus is an Australian founder, educator, keynote speaker and wellbeing innovator who has spent more than two decades building purpose-driven work that helps people thrive. As the Founder and CEO of Life Skills GO, she is helping redefine how schools understand, measure and respond to student wellbeing — shifting education from outdated, reactive models to real-time, evidence-based support. Nikki brings over 20 years of personal and professional experience in the research, co-design, development and delivery of social-emotional literacy programs for students, schools and organisations. Through Life Skills GO, the EdTech SaaS platform she founded for K–12 education, she has dedicated her career to equipping schools with real-time student wellbeing data, metrics, insights and reports that enable earlier identification, more precise intervention, and stronger wellbeing and academic outcomes. At the heart of her work is a clear belief: no child should fall through the cracks because of the circumstances they were born into. Grounded in evidence, neuroscience and lived experience, Nikki's approach is built on the conviction that every child can thrive when they are met with the right environment, the right skills, the right support and the right tools at the right time.
Karen Robertson is CEO of Life Ed Australia and Vice President of the Australian Parents Council, with more than three decades of experience in education leadership, policy and program innovation. She is a recognised voice in children’s health, wellbeing and digital safety, contributing to national policy discussions, Senate inquiries and global education networks. Karen is passionate about translating evidence into action and building partnerships that create meaningful, lasting impact for children and young people.
Mark is an internationally recognised neuroscience professor with over 25 years’ experience conducting behavioural and brain imaging research focusing on our social skills and how we learn. He has received numerous awards for teaching and research, taught the fundamentals of neuroscience to everyone from kindy kids to adults, published more than 70 scientific articles, and worked at MIT (USA) and multiple universities in Australia. Mark draws on his extensive scientific background to work with schools and organisations to develop evidence-based practices using neuroscience to improve learning, productivity, innovation and mental health. Mark’s new book “The Connected Species” is a #1 Best Seller and his work has been highlighted in the media including, The New York Times, Forbes, The Economist, and New Scientist.
Gems McLean is a passionate advocate for student wellbeing, equity, and the power of technology in education. As the VP Digital Sales at TTEC Digital, she is dedicated to ensuring no learner is left behind. Her journey has been anything but traditional. Despite being told she would never amount to anything and facing significant challenges in her school years—including an undiagnosed neurodivergence and growing up in a household affected by mental health struggles—she has built a career that proves otherwise. Without finishing high school or attending university, she has navigated a path that led her from the world of EdTech to Amazon Web Services and now at TTEC Digital. More than just a leader in edtech, she is a mentor, a champion for diversity and inclusion, and someone who deeply believes in the power of kindness and community. She sees people for who they are and strives to elevate, encourage, and empower them to recognise their own strengths. Her personal story fuels her mission: to ensure that no student slips through the cracks and that every young person is seen, supported, and given the opportunities they deserve. Her superpower? Using her lived experience to help others uncover theirs.