Fr Richard Leonard is a Queensland-raised Jesuit Priest who heads the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting. In a series of short videos he tackles some of the difficult questions regarding our children’s access to the current media landscape and what we as parents can do to keep it all in perspective.

Managing children’s screen time

1:35 mins

How long should my children spend in front of a screen each day? Some tips to manage screen time at home. Don’t ban the screens but set some limits.

Media sex and violence – what’s a family to do

2:23 mins

Are our children becoming desensitised to violence and lack a sense of empathy for real-life violence? Statistics say our children are being exposed to pornography from an average age of 10. Don’t shut down but be open and keep talking to your kids.

Being a real person in the age of reality television – Get me out of here!

2:24 mins

Why is reality television anything but? Is life really about conflict, money and celebrity? And have we become a ‘look at me’ culture? Unfortunately this is all linking in to our children’s mental health.

Fr Richard shares his favourite TV shows

1:52 mins

How many of these do you share? Gogglebox! Can a republican love ‘The Crown’?

Watching media for work and pleasure

2:31 mins

We need to talk about our children watching Married at First Sight. The film Capernaum may not tick a lot of boxes for people (subtitled, in Arabic, about refugees) but a hugely powerful movie. The beauty of boxed sets.

A parent’s guide to mass media – help is at hand

2:15 mins

Here’s a couple of websites worth having a look at – one Australian, one American. Structures, strategies and ideas about how to manage our children’s exposure to media.