Kids at risk soaking up screen time

Your article discussing weaning teenagers off screens takes a very moderate view of the research into this issue. Tweens and teens have more than two hours of screen time a day, the article notes. Research shows it’s about six for tweens and eight for teens, not including school use.

It’s slightly less for the more affluent, and lowest for children of parents with high levels of education. There are no limits for most. Screen and internet use is unrestricted and unsupervised.

Over three hours a day of any screen use starts to have negative physical and mental outcomes, regardless of content. With social media for teens, it’s over an hour a day.

Screen time is becoming a public health issue and, as such, the digital protection of children is being legislated abroad. Our Government needs to act.

Like Kowhai Intermediate, schools need to look at how they can support parents and communities with this issue. Over 80 per cent of parents want smartphones away at school. It’s time for schools to listen. A. Scott, Grey Lynn. After listening to the Government’s proposals to drop the speed limit on open roads to 70km/h, I shudder. You don’t need to be clairvoyant to know this will raise the death toll. Some drivers will no doubt drive at 60 km/h. Imagine the risks others will take out of frustration?

A simpler, more economic approach would be to ensure a police car patrolled the road, say one every 20km. I do quite a lot of distant driving and would be more likely to spot a taniwha than a cop.

John Oliver, Remuera. The road toll will only be reduced when we teach people how to drive on the open road, to keep left, let people pass and not be selfish. Frustration led to every nearmiss I've seen. We drive modern cars, our roads are fine, it is driver error every time. I'd suggest lifting the speed limit to 110km and 120km on overtaking lanes so people can get safe. Create more over-taking lanes and limit truck hours. Get traffic flowing better. More speed limits will make things worse. Bill Brown, Herne Bay. The Auckland Council’s debt has continued to skyrocket by nearly $2 million a day under Mayor Phil Goff. Its borrowings increased from $8.3 billion to $9b this year — a $700m increase in 12 months. The mayor’s 10-year budget balloons Auckland’s debt to $12.6b. Interest payments are already $464m pa, nearly $1.3m a day. This is equivalent to 23 per cent of the annual rates.

Next year employee costs will equate to of 50 per cent of the annual rates revenue. The council simply doesn’t have enough money left over to perform core business. So its plan is to start double dipping in the pockets of Aucklanders who understand there are questions around huge funding shortfalls. However, the mayor’s proposed budget has no timely solutions. Greg Sayers, Auckland Councillor,

Rodney Ward. Isaac Donaldson questions rebuilding Christchurch Cathedral with taxpayer support but these inspiring treasures are open to all and create a space in the business of the city where contemplation can flourish. We take overseas visitors to see the windows and experience the history of Holy Trinity, attend services, concerts, choirs, recitals, readings, weddings, funerals and visit the community gardens.

Last night friends and I walked through an Easter montage involving every part of that complex. It engaged all our senses and we interacted with strangers of all ages who were equally blown away.

It is open this week from 6-9pm, including Sunday, and is highly recommended. Mary Tallon, Morningside. Simon Bridges claims lowering the 100 km/h speed limit on rural roads without median barriers to improve safety is “simplistic”. He ignores the results from OECD nations who have adopted 80km/ h and 70 km/h speed limits on rural roads. A good local example of reduced speed limits saving lives is the 80 km/h state highway through Dome Valley, north of Warkworth.

Reduce the 100 km/h speed limits on our rural roads or have one of the highest rates of road death in the OECD. Bevan Woodward, Transport Planner, Warkworth. Do bureaucrats in Wellington understand Auckland traffic? There is an obsession in Wellington with Auckland cars with one or two people in them. Already most main arterial roads in Auckland have lost a lane each way to bus lanes. Then we have the motorway on-ramp lights, a sound enough concept if the on ramps and feeder roads can cope. They can’t.

Many of us spend a large part of our working day travelling to customers and potential customers across Auckland. Public transport is not an option. Still there is a push to get us out of our cars.

Now, according to the picture in the paper today, they want to further constrict the roads we need by adding light rail to roads already too narrow and reduce spending on motorways. We are not all working in a single-office destination and nobody in Wellington seems to grasp this.

David Koningham, Clendon Park.