Water Safety Advocates Launch Screen-Free Campaign for Drowning Prevention
Early childhood advocates urge families to trade screen time for active water safety education as infant drowning statistics remain a critical concern in Australia.
Harry Taruva 
Brisbane — Early childhood safety organisations have united to launch a national education initiative for World Drowning Prevention Day, urging Australian parents to swap daily screen time for active, life-saving water safety instruction.
Coordinated by water safety group, Kids Alive, in partnership with audio platform Tonies, the "Screen Free Saturday" campaign calls on households to turn off digital devices for at least one hour on Saturday, 25 July 2026, utilising the time to teach toddlers essential water safety habits through music, games and structured play.
The initiative seeks to address two intersecting early childhood trends, rising daily screen usage among young children and persistent infant drowning statistics.
Health guidelines recommend a maximum of one hour of daily sedentary screen time for children aged two to five, yet Australian Institute of Family Studies data reveals average usage exceeds two hours daily.
Concurrently, Royal Life Saving Society Australia recorded 15 drowning fatalities among children aged zero to four over the past year, with residential swimming pools remaining the primary site of risk.
Emma Lawrence, National Operations Manager at Kids Alive, emphasised that active engagement before the age of five is critical to building lifelong water safety habits.
"Children learn best through active engagement, activities like singing, moving and playing," Lawrence stated.
"If every family switches the screens off for just one hour this World Drowning Prevention Day, that's an hour spent building skills that could genuinely save a child's life," she said.
The campaign offers families free educational activity packs and specialised music content focusing on hazard awareness across home, swimming pool, farm and beach environments.
