About the ACODA research
ACODA is a longitudinal study that aims to provide the big picture of digital technology use in early childhood. By engaging thousands of families across Australia, we will learn more about how digital technologies are used by young children and understand the impact of technology use.
The survey is run by Wallis on behalf of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (Digital Child).
We are re-opening the ACODA survey to a small group of families in April-July 2025. We are looking for families with children aged six months to six years old, who live in rural and remote Australia, and/or identify as a low-SES household, and/or identify as a First Nations family. This survey will be open from 29 April 2025 to 18 July 2025 and will run for three years.
What does the research involve?
If you choose to participate in this longitudinal study, you will be asked to undertake an online survey each year for for at least three years.
The survey will ask questions about how your child or children aged between six months and six years old engage with digital technologies. Question themes include:
Types of technologies used by the family
Frequency and context of technology use
Caregiver perspectives of technology usage and its influence on children’s health and wellbeing
Demographics (e.g. age, gender, geographic location)
How long does it take?
The online survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Why should I take part?
The ACODA research will explore the use of digital technologies by young Australian children and their families, and the impact of this use.
Your participation will provide crucial evidence for our research into potential opportunities and problems presented by digital technologies and inform recommendations for policy and practice concerned with the wellbeing of young children.
A $50 eGift card is available to participants who complete the survey online by the survey closing date. Participants also need to respond to a verification phone call.
Participating in this survey is voluntary, and your decision to complete this survey (or not) will not affect any government payments or services you receive. You can also withdraw from the research at any time without penalty.
Who is conducting the survey?
This survey is being conducted by Wallis Social Research on behalf of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (Digital Child).
The Digital Child is the world’s first research centre dedicated to creating positive digital childhoods for all Australian children.
You can read more about the Centre on their website here.
What will you do with my personal information?
The information will be collated by Wallis and analysed by researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Wallis holds participant information on secure servers in Australia. Data collected as part of this research project will be stored securely as per QUT’s Management of Research Data Policy.
The information you provide will be used for research purposes only. Key insights from the data will be shared with participants and partners ahead of publications.
Your personal information is protected by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Wallis’ Privacy Policy can be viewed here.
Further information
For further information please read the Participant Information Sheet and Terms of Consent.
How do I withdraw from the research?
If you do not wish to take the survey, please notify Wallis using our Contact Us form or by calling us on 1800 879 210 (toll free).
Participants can withdraw from participation in this research at any time without penalty.