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Dr Jo leads groundbreaking projects on screen use in education, family digital safety, and children’s AI use. Her work helps schools, families, and parents create safe, balanced, and positive digital experiences.
Screen Use for Education
Children today use screens for everything, including how they learn at school and at home. While technology can make learning more exciting with interactive activities and digital projects, it also brings challenges like distraction, too much screen time, and online safety concerns. Finding the right balance between the benefits and risks of educational screen use is what this project is all about.
I’m currently co-leading this NSW State Government funded study that brings together a large team from across New South Wales to study how students actually use screens for learning, both at school and at home. Our goal is to share practical tips that help schools make the most of educational technology, so everyone, students, parents, and teachers, can use screens in ways that truly support learning while keeping kids safe and healthy online.
Family Digital Safety Project
Children aged 10-13 are at a tricky stage- they’re starting to use the internet more on their own, but they’re making countless decisions online that parents and grandparents simply can’t keep track of or fully understand. With children spending increasing amounts of time online for school, entertainment, and socialising, it’s nearly impossible for families to stay on top of everything happening in the digital world.
Dr Jo is leading this Australian Government funded project that focuses on helping families create safer digital environments at home. This study involves 500 families from around Australia to really understand what kids this age experience online and how they make decisions, with the goal of creating resources that actually help families navigate the complex online world children face today.
Expert AI Advisor to Big-Tech
Children are increasingly using AI tools for schoolwork, entertainment, and everyday questions, but many parents feel unsure about how to guide this new technology use at home. I’m working as an expert consultant with a major technology company, drawing on my research expertise to understand what’s really happening in families when children use AI, and to help develop resources that genuinely support parents in navigating this new landscape while keeping children safe and ensuring positive outcomes.
When was the last time you were shocked by violence online? Within minutes of Charlie Kirk’s political shooting today, footage flooded our feeds. There it was, graphic video/photos of him being killed sandwiched between recipe videos and dance trends. Seeing it felt normal on social media. This is our new reality |
