✨ Digital Play at Queensland Children’s Hospital ✨ Over 25–26 November, the Digital Child team partnered with Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service to bring hands-on Digital Play experiences to families.

Australia’s new social media Minimum Age law is now in effect — but will it stop cyberbullying? According to our Chief Investigator Professor Tama Leaver er, the answer is no.

Prof. Michael Dezuanni, is part of today’s ABC News expert panel discussing the new social media restrictions coming into effect for under-16s. Michael is answering community questions about what this change means for young people, parents and educators. 🔗 www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Also a throwback to our earlier interview with @tamaleaver.bsky.social of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (@digitalchildau.bsky.social) on the recent ban on social media for children under 16 in #Australia: open.spotify.com/episode/5zCX...

This is the some of the work from our members and researchers who have been exploring this important matter in depth. As the social media delay comes into effect tomorrow (Dec 10th, 2025), these three key resources can be used by teenagers, educators and parents to help manage the change. 💬✨

Our new report, Young Australians’ Perspectives on the Social Media Minimum Age Legislation, published in collaboration with the QUT Digital Media Research Centre, shares what young people really think as the country prepares for this change. Full Report: digitalchild.org.au/research/pub...

📣 Teachers, we’ve prepared something for you! From December 10, the Australian Government’s Social Media Delay comes into effect. We’ve developed a set of practical teaching and learning materials you can use right away. Access the lesson plan here: digitalchild.org.au/educators/le...

🎉 Huge Congratulations to Tama Leaver! 🎉 A well-deserved recognition as Most Prolific Media Commentator for the Faculty of Humanities at the 2025 Curtin University Research Excellence and Impact Awards. 🔗 Read the full announcement from Curtin University here: www.curtin.edu.au/news/media-r...

Think “screen time” is easy to measure? 🤔📱 Children use technology in different ways, across different contexts—and no single method can capture the full picture. Our new blog breaks down why measuring children’s screen use is so challenging. digitalchild.org.au/ways-to-meas...

🎉 Congratulations to our Digital Child members from the University of Wollongong, Dr Zhiguang Zhang and Dr Tiffani Apps, on receiving Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) grants! We’re proud to celebrate their important research and this outstanding achievement.

📢 New Social Media Age Rules: What You Need to Know From 10 December 2025, social media companies must ensure all users in Australia are 16+. To do this, they may check details like your location, mobile number, account settings, or online activity.

📚 Our Picks from the Digital Child Centre: Stay Informed on Digital Childhoods We’ve selected five essential reads—journal articles, research papers, and news—to help you stay up to date on the latest insights into children’s experiences in digital spaces.

📢 Call for Submissions – ICA 2026 Children’s rights under pressure in a digital world #ICA2026 #ChildrensRights #DigitalChildhoods #AIandChildren #ResearchCommunity #CallForPapers #DigitalFuturesForChildre

📱✨ Your Feed, Your Say, Your Future Are you 14–18 and living in Australia (or know someone who is)? We want to hear what YOU think about the upcoming social media age-limit changes. 👉 Your voice matters — take the survey here: uniofqueensland.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Hey Brisbane! Join us next Tuesday for a FREE Stay and Play storytelling session! 🎨📚 Bring your little storytellers along for an afternoon of creativity, imagination, and family fun at the Digital Stories Competition Launch. ✨

This fascinating project explores how children play, imagine, and create across generations. 📘Read International Perspectives – Playing the Archive by Professor John Potter on the Digital Child blog: 🔗https://digitalchild.org.au/playing-the-archive-from-the-opies-to-the-digital-playground/

👩‍👧💻 Want to help your little one learn about the digital world — safely and playfully? Join our free in-person Parent–Child Workshops, hosted by QUT and UOW researchers! 📍 This Thursday in Wollongong 📍 This Saturday in Brisbane Register here 👉 : uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Join us for a Stay and Play storytelling session in Brisbane! 🎨📚 Bring your little storytellers along for an afternoon of creativity 📅 Tuesday, 18 November 2025 📍 CTC, QUT Kelvin Grove – E Block, Room 420 🎟️ Please register via Humanitix here: events.humanitix.com/digital-stor...

🌟 Children's Rights in Action | Networking & Conversations 🌟 📅 Event details Date: Thursday 13th November Time: 4:15pm – 6:00pm 📍 Location: Children’s Technology Centre, Level 4 E Block, QUT Kelvin Grove or Online 💻 🔗 Register here: events.humanitix.com/children-s-r...

✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us for our event on “AI and Children: Friend or Foe?” 📘 Explore more: Download the report Children and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Australia to learn about the key challenges of GenAI 👉 digitalchild.org.au/artificialin...

📢 Call for Papers! AJEC invites abstracts for a special issue on children’s perspectives in their digital childhoods 🌍💻 📅 Abstracts due: Fri, 31 Oct 2025 📧 [email protected] Susan Danby, | [email protected] Irina Silva

👩‍👧💻 Want to help your little one learn about the digital world — safely and playfully? Join our free in-person Parent–Child Workshops hosted by QUT and UOW researchers! 📍 In-person workshops in Brisbane and Wollongong ⚡ Limited spots available — register now: uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

This week’s podcast episode dives into one of the most important topics for families, educators and researchers.

The Digital Child has responded to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry on Harnessing Data and Digital Technology. Read more about how we’re advocating for children’s digital rights here: digitalchild.org.au/research/pub...

🤖 AI for Kids: Friend or Foe? What are experts saying about how AI is shaping childhood? Don’t miss this important conversation — join us Tue, 28 Oct at the State Library of Queensland or online. 🎟️ Free tickets: lnkd.in/gzWD4p_n

Want to learn in a fun, hands-on way with your kids about the digital world? Workshops available in Wollongong and Brisbane 🗓️ Details on dates and times below ⚡ Limited spots available — share with anyone who might be interested in learning! 🔗 Register here: uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Thousands of families across Australia have contributed to the ACODA study to help us understand the impact of technology use on young children.

🌐 How did the World Wide Web transform childhood across different cultures? In this fascinating read, Helle Strandgaard Jensen explores how the early internet (1995–2005) shaped children’s lives in Denmark, South Korea, and the U.S. 📖 Read the full article here: digitalchild.org.au/how-did-it-a...

🩷 Parents and children – we want to hear from you! We’re looking for parents and children aged 5–12 years to share their thoughts on social media. 📲 Participate here: qsurvey.qut.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_... For more information, contact: [email protected]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parent–Child Digital Literacy Workshops Wollongong:📍 UoW Discovery Space (Thursdays, 10–11am) Brisbane:📍 QUT Children’s Technology Centre (Saturdays, 9:30–10:30am) Register here: uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Wonderful time in Perth for the ECA National Conference 2025 — great chats with different organisations and partners, all working together for a better digital future for every child. 🌟

From Beijing to the world — how are parents making digital decisions for their children? Read The Chinese approach to digital parenting: The Mum Jury experiment in Beijing by Jian Xu and Andy Zhao (Deakin University). 🔗 Available now: digitalchild.org.au/the-mum-jury...

📢 New report out now! The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child has released a new report synthesising discussions from our second Digital Childhoods Summit in Canberra (June 2025). www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Our researchers from the Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child are running a fun and interactive Digital Citizenship Workshop Series 🎮✨. ⭐ Create and play together with digital tools ⭐ Co-create alongside researchers ⭐ Reflect on how to support your child’s digital experiences

Our Chief Investigator, Professor Julian Sefton-Green, has been appointed to the expert group evaluating the consequences of Australia’s social media minimum age policy 📱👧👦. The evaluation, led by Stanford Social Media Lab, brings together 11 global and Australian experts to examine the impacts.

✨ This week’s must-reads from our researchers ✨ Swipe 👉 to explore the latest insights shaping children’s digital worlds. Here are the picks ⬇️

👋 Hey everyone, we’re still looking for families in Australia with children in primary school or Year 7 to take part in a Deakin University study. 👉 Register your interest here: researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...

Our researchers are being featured in podcasts and media exploring children’s digital lives Govt Social Media Crackdown Won’t Work shorturl.at/doBot Persuasive App Design shorturl.at/N47XA Play in a Digital World shorturl.at/etfBL

A big thank you to our pre-service teachers who joined us for a STEM Stay and Play session as part of the Early Childhood Science Education unit 🌱🔬✨ It was wonderful to see hands-on exploration and playful learning in action!

👧👦🤖 AI for Kids: Friend or Foe? Children are growing up surrounded by AI — from smart toys to online learning. But what does this mean for their future? Tuesday, 28 Oct — be part of the conversation at the State Library of Queensland or online 💻 Free Tickets: events.humanitix.com/ai-for-kids-...

✨ Stay & Play! ✨ Children aged 3–10 (and their carers) are invited to our free Blocks and Bots Stay & Play 📅 Thursday 25 September - Brisbane, QLD. ⏰ 10:00 – 11:30 am 📍 Register for Free Tickets: events.humanitix.com/stay-and-pla... Rachel Minns, CTC Coordinator 📧 [email protected]

🎉 Congratulations to Professor Kerryann Walsh! 👏 She has been awarded the title of Professor Emeritus by QUT Council in recognition of her remarkable 23 years of teaching, research, and service at QUT. Professor Walsh has dedicated more than 25 years to advancing this vital field.

From feeding trackers to sleep apps, baby apps are changing the way parents navigate early parenthood. But are they always helpful? Let’s talk about it! ✨ Baby apps: (Mis)understandings of data-driven care ACMI + Online Mon 29 Sept, 5:30–7:30pm AEST Free event events.humanitix.com/dc-x-acmi-se...

🌍 From Cambridge, UK! Our Digital Child team had the pleasure of meeting with Professor Paul Ramchandani, Director of the PEDAL Research Centre and with Emily Goodacre, RA at PEDAL. PEDAL’s mission: discovering how play can spark change in families, schools, and communities.

✨ A Decade of Play and Discovery ✨ Early Start Discovery Space is more than a play zone— 🌏 it’s the world’s first children’s museum on a university campus, where creativity meets evidence-informed design. 📖 Read more about the Festival here: www.nationaltribune.com.au/festival-of-...

👧📱 Navigating & Negotiating Children’s Use of Digital Technologies Digital citizenship in early childhood is about more than just screen time—it’s about screen quality. 🎥 Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDej...

Join us Tuesday, 28 October at the State Library of Queensland (or online 💻) for a FREE panel discussion with leading voices in AI and childhood. 📅 Mark your calendars and register today – free event: events.humanitix.com/ai-for-kids-...

What did 2024 look like for us? 🚀 Think global research, local impact, new collaborations and conversations that matter for children in the digital age. 💡 📖 Take a look at our Annual Report or download it here: issuu.com/digitalchild...

✨ Our team had the privilege of joining the 33rd Annual EECERA Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia (25–28 August 2025). EECERA brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world. This year’s theme, “Early Education for All: Celebrating Diversity and Seeking Inclusion”

Event: Can ChatGPT be trusted with our kids? Tuesday 9 September 2025 RSVP by 2 September 2025: form.jotform.com/251842332403...