Episode 80: Why Kids With ADHD Get Hooked on Screens, and What Actually Helps with Blake Johnston
Host: Sharon Collon
Welcome to the ADHD Families Podcast, I'm your host, Sharon Collon. I am so happy that you are here. Imagine paddling out into the pitch black waters and surfing for a mind-bending 40 hours straight. I mean, I can't even swim for 40 minutes, but surfing for 40 hours straight. Today, our guest, Blakey Johnston, did just that. And it wasn't just an extreme endurance test.
It was a mission to save lives. Blakey is a father, a surf coach, and a three time world record holder who took on the world's longest surf to shatter the stigma around men's mental health. Driven by the tragic loss of his father to suicide and his own realization that he was heading down a similar path of high anxiety, Blakey decided that real change requires more than just conversation. It requires action.
In this deeply moving episode of this podcast, we'll dive into Blakey's incredible story. We talk about the raw, exhausting reality of his world record, Ocean Battle, the science behind why the beach regulates our nervous system and how he is using his Swellbeing camps to help youth, especially those navigating ADHD and screen addiction, find their true passion and connect with the real world.
This conversation is as raw, powerful and refreshing as the ocean itself. Let's dive in.
Sharon Collon (01:28)
Thank you, Blakey, for coming in today.
Blakey (01:31)
thanks for having me.
Sharon Collon (01:32)
β I'm so excited for a chat. Okay. So I would love to start us off by telling our beautiful listeners at home who you are.
Blakey (01:39)
Well, my name is Blakey Johnson. I'm a father, a husband, a surfer. I'm a surf school owner and surf coach. I've been doing that for 20 years. I'm a mental health advocate and yeah, I've got three world records all to do with surfing.
Sharon Collon (01:55)
Now I was letting you know off air before that my, I brought my sons down to your world's longest surf in Cronulla a few years ago now. And, β it was the most amazing, endurance exercise that we were watching and the vibe of the crowd was just absolutely incredible. Can you tell us a little bit about why you are breaking world records? What's the drive behind it?
Blakey (02:20)
Yeah, look, I've always been someone who's been empathetic and compassionate and been there for my family. I'm one of middle of five kids. After not making it as a pro surfer, I went into working with people, teaching them how to surf. Absolutely love them.
I have had an impact on people. How can I have more of an impact? Because this is the most important message. This is this is what society has wrong where the number one thing is health and happiness. Nothing else matters to how we function and show up for ourselves and for people in the world around us. And if I can make an impact by teaching them to surf and I speak more openly as a man.
and letting everyone know that no one's got it figured out, we're all just doing the best with what we know. Teaching them things that have helped me, practical things that anyone can do that are free, that we can actually make an impact and make the world a better place and destigmatise mental health and especially suicide.
Sharon Collon (03:11)
So can you tell us a little bit about your story?
Blakey (03:15)
Yeah, well, I'm one of five boys who grew up lucky enough to grow up over the surf from Cronulla. My dad was a surfer and I just fell in love with surfing. I wanted to be like my dad and my two older brothers and I had that access there, I the ocean and I can just remember my first memories being in the alley with my dad on the back of the board at about three years old. And I can just remember the first day mum and dad said I could go over by myself without the care of him or my two older brothers and just feeling a sense of just
awe and beauty and freedom. Always having so much energy. think that was one place I could just feel, be myself and ride a million ways and it just felt like freedom. Yeah, dad was always busy working. He did so much for us. He was a bricklayer than a builder. And mum was just at home, just dedicated. Best mum just cared for us all. We never went without, we never had much. They worked their ass off trying to get ahead. Never really worked out for them.
We just had the best childhood. We never went on any holidays or anything, but we always had a surfboard. The beach was close by and we felt loved and cared for. It was a beautiful, beautiful childhood that I'm super grateful for. And I just think like, man, five kids, bricklayers wage, you know, ups and downs, doing their own renovations and not getting ahead and market crashing on them and things like that. that wasn't easy. That was, would have been really tough. there's, you know, so much.
respect and empathy and care for what my parents went through and what we all go through, what shapes this. And it's not easy for anyone.
Sharon Collon (04:41)
And so what led you to come to do the world records? What was the actual moment that made you think, I've got to be able to raise awareness for mental health?
Blakey (04:52)
I just saw the, saw initially just a few years after my dad had taken his own life, I just saw me, I just recognized the patterns that were similar to what dad had, you know, just getting stuck with work and just unhealthy, just little things, know, just things that are really important. He had bad sleep apnea and he was such a hardworking man that didn't
enough for himself. didn't give himself the time of the day. And so many people around him that loved him cared about him, his whole family, his work colleague, but he didn't have a crew outside of that. I just saw these little habits and patterns that I was like, you know, I'm doing the same as that. don't want to end up in the same place. My mental health wasn't, wasn't great. I didn't even know it. thought, you know, I've got those responsibilities like we all have of having a family and wanting to show up as a good man and to be there for my wife and my boys and my community that I created around Cranulla and the ocean and
And I felt those pressures heavily, so heavily. And I look back after making changes of putting myself first and making sure that I was at my best, I could show up better and look back and just go, well, that wasn't good mental health. You know, that was, that was high level anxiety and that's a depression that, that can be avoided, you know, that aren't necessary if we, if we live and take responsibility for our wellbeing and mental health. And I just wanted to share that message. I wanted to know that it was action that had to go above.
I'll have to go above beyond conversation. Because there's lot of awareness, there's a lot of talk and things we can do. until that first paddle is taken or that first step in that right direction is taken, there's not a felt different experience that helps us change the way we think and feel. So I wanted to make sure it was visible, that people saw the struggle, that saw that I could get through it, and spoke directly to it. So that was kind of like 10 years of Dad came up. And I was like, I was going to do a run across Australia, but
that's been done and Ned Brockman went across Australia and that kind of didn't make my 1500 kilometre run look that impressive. So I thought I've got to stick to something really authentic to me. And yeah, sure enough, Googled world's longest surf and I was an outrageous 30 hours and, and I knew I was fit enough to challenge myself and I wanted to smash it out of the park and just went, yeah, if I can run for 40 hours through all the changes I've made to be fit and I can surf for 40 and, and, and hopefully go under the attention that
this subject needs to make everyone that they deserve to feel awesome and destigmatise mental health, men's mental health. then ultimately the way we make a change is through the youth, generational change. So making sure they're the focus, they're included in the conversation and there's no stigma around what it is because that is obviously where the work is and what we need to make more normal in our daily conversations.
Sharon Collon (07:24)
Now, something that was interesting when you do these world titles is, you know, a part of Australian culture really is that men don't talk about mental health a lot. Women tend to be a little bit better, I mean, guess, with seeking intervention and seeking support. But I don't know if it's just where we live. But there's there wasn't a lot of conversation about mental health from a men's perspective or from a management perspective to support men.
Do you think about that? Do you think that's changing?
Blakey (07:50)
I think it's slightly changing. don't think numbers that, if we look at the heavy end of the spectrum, the mental health statistics are getting worse, especially in men, you know? And it's always a massive tragedy when someone young takes their life, because there's so much opportunity after it, but little to none media attention when someone in their 50s, 60s, 70s takes their own life, you know? And I think
more than just talking about it. I think it's got to be celebrated when people want to make change, when they can identify their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and do something about them. One way to do it is not the same way for other people. A lot of men might not be that extroverted or ever really feel that comfortable in a group environment talking about their feelings, but that vulnerability can be shown in taking action.
changing their diet, doing something for themselves and knowing that this isn't selfish, knowing this is so they can show up their true selves and be the best they can be for the people around. Because we're so much more valuable than we ever are told or thought, know, like the impact that we all have on the people around us. Positive impact we have is so much more powerful and it's not ever spoken about. And it's not about being toxic, but it's about being, you know, talking about the positive stuff and making sure that people.
know that they're great, know that they're resilient, know that they have the support, know that they can make change and develop habits that make them feel good and not just live and survive, but just live an epic big life too. I think that's why you can hear me passionate voice, but it's like I believe in people more than they do themselves, the way that society shaped it, what success looks like when success is about being a good human and having a positive impact on the people and the place around you.
And we're all capable of that, you know, we all are. And unfortunately, I've got a little bit of a platform to share my story and let people know that I'm no one special, that you can do it too. Like, it's just a shift in perspective. It is hard work, but you're capable of that too, you know, and when you put your attention and you focus in the right areas and know that you're worth it, it's amazing what we can do.
I've always been empathetic and vulnerable and I'm happy to be the one that maybe starts that conversation or shows people that, you know, if a kook like me can get out there and learn to talk better and, you don't have to be like me, but be true to yourself and find ways that you can, that you can do that.
Sharon Collon (10:10)
So when you were talking about, you came across that moment where you felt like you were going into maybe some of the patterns that you recognized from your father and what things did you do for yourself that allowed you to look after yourself better?
Blakey (10:25)
We're all busy. The first person I went to a party every and every friend I spoke to, like, how you been? I have been busy, family and kids work and the same answer. The same answer. Beautiful life too, you know, like yeah. You're grateful for the beautiful family you got that you live in a beautiful place like we do. We get the food, eat all these things that we can be grateful, but it can be mundane as well. You know, it's okay to feel a bit flat when things are good. You got the house and the car, what everything that size, you know, society.
teams as successful, but there's a missing piece almost, you know, that if we don't ever fulfill that what we hold on to that we don't are comfortable with gets harder and harder to get rid of. And that's where over time, those things can become, a mental health condition and our well-being suffers. So it's, it's like the things that I did was really were just
I noticed that I wasn't spending as much time with friends. wasn't giving myself the time to go surfing outside of work and the things that I love to do. And I know when I do those things, I show up as a better person. So I needed to do, the first thing I needed was to find the time. I'm a busy dad, busy business owner, and that's just an excuse really. So I started getting up early. I've always gotten up early at like six o'clock, but one of my tools that I've got in my book is earn the sunrise.
Always got up at six o'clock as a surfer or for the surf school because business can only operate in the light, right? And I needed to find the time. I didn't want to get home from a busy day at work or surfing and then say, see it's my wife and my kids. That's what's most important to me. So I was never going to give myself the time. I feel guilty about that. So I had to get up earlier. I needed to make sure there was time for me to be fitter, to be healthier and focus on my own self so could show up at our own.
I ended up with a routine that starts at 4 a.m., going for a run and then a back float, having coffee. And then by six o'clock, I've already lived to two extra hours of my day that's dedicated to my own wellbeing. Well, I call it swell being. And that's something that took time to get to, but I know that that was something that I have to do and I still do for myself.
Sharon Collon (12:22)
Love that. And you know, I like your term swell being right. One thing I've noticed about a lot of the men in my life and the men in our beautiful community is a lot of them use surfing as their beautiful mental health, like their time for them. What do you think about surfing makes it so regulating and so lovely?
Blakey (12:41)
or it is that uncertainty, the thing that, you know, we don't like is what it is. So every day is different, you know, and there's always surprises, there's always an element of something new happening every time you're down there. it's just a, and it emulates just a perfect mindset, you know, like you would paddle out on any day, it's windy, onshore, crappy conditions, and we're still there, just looking for those moments where we get that awesome little ride and have that.
you know, sense of joy. And that's the best mindset, you know, you leave all your problems on the beach and you're out there and every 10 seconds, you're navigating a wave and trying to find the perfect spot. And it just makes you feel really, really present in that moment, you know, otherwise you're just going to get a wipe out and, and it's going to wash you back to shore. So I think that it's such a good, such a good thing. think if everyone surfed in the world, we'd have a happier world and it'd be so good, but just
It doesn't even have to be that, right? Like science shows that even just listening to the sound of waves, you think of every second meditations, the crushing sound of waves in the background, or looking at that vast open space, going down and looking at a body of water is proven to regulate our nervous system, help us feel calm and safe.
Sharon Collon (13:52)
In the hardest times of my life, where the things have been the hardest, I always drive down to the beach. I always just stop. Sometimes I don't even get out of the car if I'm not feeling it, but just drive down there and take deep breaths by the ocean. That's my little thing to regulate, to just bring it all back down. Yeah, there's something, there's some magic.
Blakey (14:11)
The theory behind it is, right, why does the ocean do that? Surfers have that saying, there's no such thing as a bad surf. And the science behind it proving it. Think about ancestors when life was all about survival, right? Where if you're in the jungle and there was a loud noise, you'd be alert. So that continuous rhythmic sound of the ocean is calming on our nervous system without even thinking about it. Our body knows. And also that vast open space.
Nothing's going to come around the corner or jump out of a tree and kill you. Your body knows that, hey, I'm in a place of comfort. The nervous system responds, makes us feel calm, lowers our heart rate, lowers our breath rate, makes our mind feel calm. And we're in that space. And I guess surfing does that. We're in that moment, paddling out, looking for those waves. There's that sense of uncertainty, what's next? And then we sit there on our boards waiting for wave and we're in this environment that's just...
without even thinking about it, doing something really, really, really important and bringing us to that present moment.
Sharon Collon (15:08)
Have you had any moments where you turned away from surfing or not felt like it was bringing you as much joy anymore?
Blakey (15:15)
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I'm lucky enough to be down the beach for my job, hedonic adaptation, right? So it's, everyone says you've got the best job in the world, but being down the beach getting sunburned for seven, for five months in a row every single day and still having the ocean as being, even for me, like there's been times where just the workload's been huge and I've felt the stress of family life and everything. And the other thing I just
didn't give me that joy that had. There's been busy summers at the end of it. And when I wasn't feeling great within myself, just was focused on the wrong thing. I wasn't brought to the present moment. So I didn't really shift my mood or make me feel calm. And that was definitely something I notice now that through those periods of my dad's grief, my dad and stress, that we feel as a parent and a husband and a business owner.
that we all feel like it just wasn't my place or I could find that connection. And that was because I was so focused on my own experience. It wasn't feeling connected to my environment or who I was.
Sharon Collon (16:16)
I saw on your Instagram a couple of maybe a month or so ago, you took some kids away on a camp as part of Swelbeing. Can you tell us about that experience?
Blakey (16:28)
Yeah, for sure. So I said before, like the way that we make change is through the youth, right? And we have an opportunity to do it right, to let them know. So, you know, I have the same conversations with 50, 60 year old men and women that I do with 10 and 12 year olds, the important stuff, How they're feeling, how they manage the tools they've got to help them ride the waves that we all go through each and every single day. And
The way that we do that is we've got to live with them. We've got to talk with them. We don't have to instruct them, coach them, parent them. Because that's all they're getting done. That's all that we associate with. Like, I'm honest and tend to say, I don't have life figured out. I'm still trying to navigate the best decisions to try and be the best person I can be. And so are your parents, you know? And I think when we speak with them, live life with them, and especially lead with action.
then that's where we're able to influence them. We're the same parent that tells them to pick up their shirt off the ground at home or clean the dishes. And then in the next afternoon, we're talking about values and what's important to be a good person. It's just noise in the end. So the way that we live, the way we carry ourselves is how we influence, is how we actually make change within them. And they can see with a good example of how it takes the human and they can...
leaning to being the best coaches themselves through that. So the idea of the camps is to live with them, you know, we all mean the coaches do the breath work with them, we challenge them, we get up early in the morning, we go for a barefoot run and all that, we shoes in the camp. We eat as wholesome as we can, you know, all unprocessed food, they all love it. My wife's a great cook and organiser and
Sharon Collon (18:01)
I love this.
Blakey (18:09)
within 20 minutes we see a shift in these kids. They're out the back playing volleyball off the back because they're waiting to go for a surf and they've got nothing else to do. And no one asks a question about their phones. It's funny, hey, because people are like, oh, it's so good what you're doing, I just do what needs to be done. It's really, and I don't know how hard it is as a parent. I'm not saying, you can do this too, but it's...
It's just really powerful when it's that whole environment. Everyone's in the same boat. It's the power of community and connection from the moment we get there. And they're all feeling uncomfortable together at certain points. And that really brings them close together. And that allows us to have some conversations around what is important, little trivia around their mental health, again, thinking about that. So it's a really easy way to engage them in conversations and have those important things at least spoken about.
give them times when they're present after the breath work to let them be creative and in their own mind and think about the people that they want to become and what that might look like. So it's really, it's just back, it's back to nature. It's back to who we are and it gives them an opportunity to experience that. And yeah, I absolutely love doing them. I love being there with them and seeing them just be kids and just, you know, hang out together.
and thrive and know, they challenge themselves. It's not an easy couple of days. And you know, that's when they get tired and a bit emotional and you see the real people in front of one another and it's really cool.
Sharon Collon (19:31)
So what do the kids go through on your Swellbeing camps? how is it structured? Because I'm sure parents are like, I think I need to send my kid to one of these camps. they're run by the school. Is it the school that engages you?
Blakey (19:44)
But yeah, look, it started for me being a surf coach and then always, you know, being a bit of a mentor, helping the kids make it, and always seemed to be someone people felt safe talking to. And that's, you know, let me spend a lot of time with the youth outside of just coaching them and just hanging out surfing with them and living life with them. And I just learned those tools that I've learned through my evolution was like, I need to introduce this to surfing. If I could throw a better human...
can use surfing as a tool to let them connect with themselves and be not just a better surfer, but a human. So I that's for everyone. The ocean's for everyone. It's healing as we just spoke about. And it can be at any level. You can be never surfed before and come down on one of those retreats and connect with a new skill. So challenging yourself for something new and feeling that progress. And that's proven to be really healthy for your brain and your mental health. So yeah, we challenge them a lot, too. We make sure that they know their.
they're going to have a big day and show them themselves what's possible, what they can pack into a day. And yeah, it's really good.
Yeah, I think that's where that group community and connection season. So you've got a bigger groups more powerful, I think, because you're to see different levels of ability, commitment and confidence that come into his play. So it's not like a boot camp where you got to do this. You've got an option. You don't have to get up for the 4 AM, 5 AM barefoot push run. That sounds crazy. You can do the walking group that gets up at the same time and does the walking group. So there are the levels of it that we adhere to.
But we do like to challenge and put the question to them because we know they're capable. You know, we're not there trying to injure anyone or hurt anyone. It's just about them just seeing, taking that next level of progress and being, you know, be proud of themselves for something that they have ultimately the choice to make. And I think that's where the group environment really helps that, you know, there's kids that might sit out of surf, might not, they might, they'll do the walk, but then they'll start to challenge themselves later on. They'll get up that next morning with a bit of enthusiasm and go, Oh, what are we doing today?
bit curiosity and I'll lean into that next morning of water challenges and see that really happen as well. I think there's a lot of opportunities for different experiences on it. Like I said, we pack it in in those three days. There is some downtime, which is beautiful to see the kids just be bit more relaxed because they've used a lot of energy and have those conversations and be outdoors and not looking down at their screens either.
Sharon Collon (22:02)
Mm. So, β I'm just thinking about our beautiful parents listening to this that are running on empty, right? Like as you spoke about, they're at, like our demands are there's a lot, you know, we've to pay mortgages and like, you know, work and run a home and all, and all of the things. and they love their kids deeply, but you know, our kids, we know the stats are like, if you have a child that has ADHD.
β It's usually about three times the amount of effort for a parent, like the amount of work. And so they're navigating a lot. Like we have no doubt that it's harder. They need more stimulation. They need more support, more appointments, more cost, more everything. I wanted to ask you, do you have any advice for them? Like thinking about back to when you were young.
thinking about things that you've seen help your clients, do you have any advice for our gorgeous parents that are trying so hard to support their gorgeous kids?
Blakey (22:55)
Yeah, look, I think I can only relate to my own experience with that, right? I was one of five kids. And from the age of I think I was four, Mum took me to multiple doctors and just said, this kid's go, go, go. I can't get him to stop. What's going on? And this is like, what, 1988 or 1989 or whatever. And I was the only one of five that was put in preschool. it was my own age. And I played football and
I think the shift came when I found something like surfing, where I had that independence, I had that unlimited energy that could be put around and that freedom, I think was really the most important part to, know, not feel like I had to compete with my older brothers and whatever it was, it was racing along in my mind when I was younger. And just to put all that into, find that place to where I could put that energy, you know? And I think that is exploring
maybe sometimes what's outside, what's the natural pathway to deal with that high energy and medication and stuff. really seeing where the kids could be interested and focusing in. Because like I said at the start, I feel like when that energy is in the right place, it's a, I can't want to swear, it's a effing superpower, absolutely. And the challenge is, it can be motivation to know that your kid's got this energy and harness it.
Let's find it, let's help you and it can be, can make that journey a little bit more exciting maybe, but just getting that in the right place for them, you know, just making sure that there's that they excel in and it's seen as something that's actually, you know beautiful.
Sharon Collon (24:30)
I always talk to my husband about like he has a very hyperactive profile for ADHD and he was lucky and he thinks what saved him was motocross because he loves surfing as well, but he found his thing in motocross. He had a like kind of a natural gift for it. And, β and it, what it did is it stopped him from
going out too late, it stopped because he had to be up early for motocross, a little bit like surfing. He had the thing of like, you've got to be up early, right? And you've got to do the thing. And it had a real drive for him to be the best at that. And I think he talks about it rescuing him a little bit because he had this direction. And I think when we're supporting our beautiful kids, specifically in the teen years, like we really want them to have a thing and the thing preferably even better if it's not gaining.
Like they've got to have something that encourages them to use their social skills and encourages them to get outside of their comfort zone and to be a little bit uncomfortable, like comfortably uncomfortable, you know? So that they are seeing what's possible and having that different sorts of exposure that the world throws at them. Do you think that that's what surfing was for you?
Blakey (25:32)
Yeah, definitely. Look, I think it's just the modern world that limits, you know, it seems like ADHD and these, you know, diversion disorders are a disadvantage, you know, like in a world where it was about energy and survival and looking around and, I just think it's something that if we can put it in the right place, you know, like something that challenges them, something that's outdoors and they're stimulated essentially, not just trying to, you know,
calm their mind and make them be relaxed and make better choices. But actually that stimulates all the senses that can really help them focus on what they're doing and bring them to that moment. Like you said, in the moment, there's nothing else to think about when you're wrapping around a corner on a motorbike, on a dirt track, right? Or when you're through the bush doing a trail run, there's nothing else. You're as present as you can be because you're in a different environment, in an environment that demands that. And I think that's something that we overlook. I think that's something that like,
really is just like the example of your husband just brings you that challenges you enough, not just mentally but physically and sensually as well that that's that's something that I would definitely
No, it's just vital to making it out.
Sharon Collon (26:37)
So how do we encourage our kids? Say I'm thinking of the listener that perhaps their child doesn't have their thing, right? Or perhaps we're limiting screens now and we're wanting them to find their passion. How do we support our kids to find their thing?
Blakey (26:49)
And this is a big one, but I think it's just exposure, right? Like it is a lot of work with what your busy parents are doing with that extra workload. But it's just exposing them to different things. Like I said, just thinking outside the box and something that can consume them. A sport you might never thought about, a place they might never have been to go, something different that is outside your own thinking.
and just give them permission to try anything that might not be to your values or your expectations, but something that lets them be them. And that's ultimately what you want them to be as best that they can be. And I think with all that energy, it needs, it's going to be pretty obvious if they're into it or not. Like whether they feel comfortable and they want to be there. Yeah, I think that's what I could be. Just, you know, I was lucky enough to have the ocean right there.
found it pretty easily, but that's going to be some of the work in it, just giving them that opportunity to find where that strength is, where that connection's found so they can put that energy in that place rather than down at their screen. I'm going to ask you a question. Is that all right? So what about ADHD and addiction? So is there a really closely, because I'm definitely obsessive. You can use that word, particularly more obsessive, but
Sharon Collon (27:50)
Yeah, of course.
Blakey (28:02)
I think that's why it's so important, right?
look at getting good at a sport and harnessing that energy, it's our job to make sure it's going in the right direction. know, because I assume like with me, like if I'm not great on my phone, I can be better. That's something I'm always working on getting off my phone more. I guess my question was like, there has to be a direct, there must be some stats or some, can you tell me one? Tell me.
Sharon Collon (28:24)
β
my gosh, there's a lot of links between ADHD and addiction. But it's to do with the reward pathways in the brain. So we have different ways of receiving like our different ways of different reward pathways rather on different input stimulus levels. Like we require a lot of stimulation and β
Unfortunately, with things like alcohol, drugs, phone usage, all of those things, they're very stimulating, right? And also we have the challenge of impulse control, so poor impulse control or still developing impulse control executive function. So that can put you in the firing line for addiction. We know that it's quite common in the ADHD community. But the obsessiveness of ADHD and the
the becoming, you know, focused in on one thing, β one sport or being the best at something is actually one of the amazing, like how many people that are incredible entrepreneurs and incredible sports people and incredible, you know, people in business and things are incredible because of their ADHD. So you can focus in on something that's challenging or that's directly stimulating.
β like alcohol, drugs, phones, and all of those things. And we know that short form content is actually a lot, in terms of phone usage, a lot more stimulating than longer form content. And having devices in your hand is a lot more, it's more directly stimulating for your reward.
pathways and your dopamine and everything in your hand is a lot more significant. So we don't seem to see kids watching TV to have a screen addiction as much as now that we've put devices in people's hands, because it's now in their personal space, it's a lot more all-encompassing. So we are seeing, you know, the screen addiction, Perth has a screen addiction clinic for kids now. Like it is really quite common. And I would say that
90% of the kids that go there are ADHD because of that. It's immediate gratification and the ADHD brain doesn't always do very well with delayed gratification. So because it's immediate and the dopamine is it's so significant all the colors and how fast everything is it's just perfectly matched to the ADHD brain unfortunately and so we are seeing that coming through a lot.
So it is a beautiful thing to counter it. Now I'm not anti-screens, I think we're part of life. Like if we are asking our kids to separate from them, we're not giving them the skills they need for the modern life, like forever. We do want to have breaks from it. We want to have breaks and want to have intentional usage of it.
Blakey (30:57)
There should be like government standards. There should be heavily advertised studies on what is a healthy amount. Like I'm with you. Phones are amazing for so many things, but they can't be our own thing. And I heard a scary thing the other day. I was like, you get up in the morning, so you're awake for 14 hours a day, you sleep for 10 and you're on your phone for eight hours. You're more in a digital existence than you are in your own environment. That's freaking scary. You're more digitally connected than you are
physically. And that's a sad thing. That's what we're looking at from that perspective, you know, and looking at those guidelines and letting them know, information around what is actually the long-term effects of this stuff, how bad your mental health can get. Like this is what it's doing to your brain. And just, I think that that's got to be campaigned a lot, a lot more because, you know, it's really in the last decade, we've seen people grow up with phones and not knowing life without them. So,
It's a different perspective from them as well, but we know what's healthy. There's enough evidence out there to go, hey, if you want to live a long, happy, healthy life, we've got to have standards here.
Sharon Collon (32:01)
I think a lot of the time we're expecting the kids to self moderate. And unfortunately, a lot of, if we look at the adult population, like adults don't have this stuff down, right? We don't, we're not able to get off our phones. We're not able to turn off and go to bed when we know we should, right? So we can't also expect our kids to. So I think this is a beautiful thing that you're bringing up, like a government awareness, like having really good guidelines about what that looks like. And also like what I support people to do.
inside The Functional Family is really looking at it from a family point of view. What is important for our family? How our values play into this? Because it's very good to know that we should be on screens less, but what that actually looks like in our family unit. So we have screens in this house, but we don't lean towards short form content because we know that that is so dopamine heavy, that short form content. go for longer things.
which is okay, it's keeping our attention span. We use it very much as a social platform, like we're really going back to watch as much as we can. Facebook was what it tricked us all into being, but at the start, which was keeping up with your friends. Now we just see ads, right? So it's completely changing what it was. So what we all got engaged in is now not what it is. So we need to be aware of that and have some good intentional usage around it.
I think for a lot of our parents that are listening, is one of, it is probably, I'm going to say it's the biggest friction point that parents raise. We know that it's not great, right? But we also add a bit of a loss at how to stop it, especially now that schools are using it as well. So it is tricky. It is a really tricky thing for parents.
Blakey (33:39)
Like I said, we can bring in some fun things, just some simple things like, you know, let on your phone before seven and after seven. There's just little things that you all can do that are challenging, but just so it's as a collective, as a group, you know, because like bringing them back to the Swellbeing camps, Swirlbein retreats around for youth.
because they're with each other, they see each other with the struggle of not having their phone, they're not thinking about it, their minds in that place. And it's, I think that's how we actually make it. Cause if it's just another campaign, it's just another thing that trying to be educated on, you know, just another, another bit of noise. But when they feel it for themselves and they know that, I haven't thought about my phone. Like we pointed out, no one's asked for their phones in two days. You guys have had multiple conversations you've done.
15 activities, you've done breath work, you've been challenged, you should be so proud of yourself. And that's what's important. You're worthy to feel good and be true to yourself. And that's a good way that we can, through that experience, give them that opportunity.
Sharon Collon (34:38)
So I wanted to ask you a question. I'm circling back around full circle to your world record titles. So I remember seeing on the news, so you've done the paddle out, you've done the world's longest surf, so the largest paddle out, the world's longest surf. When you were doing the world's longest surf, I think this is a selfish question on my behalf, were you ever worried at nighttime, for sharks, being alone out there? Were you ever worried?
Blakey (35:01)
Look I'm pretty confident in the ocean but when I paddled out on the first day it was much bigger than expected so these giant flood lights just didn't have the fetch as what we had practiced the week before and I got out the back the first time way out past the rock pools at the alley like five six foot just straight it was hard to get out and it was pitch black no wind so it was all oily and black and I just looked out I'm like this is hectic like it was that the darkest moment of my life it was a clear night
And every time a wave will come, would just be pitch black. And then the wave would drop and then the bright lights would shine past me. But in those dark moments, there definitely was a moment where I was like, even if I couldn't see anything, if it was out here, I wouldn't know what kind of marine life is snooping around out the back here if these lights are bringing them in. And there was a moment there where I'm like, well, I'm not going to see it if it tries to get me anyway. So there was a moment there, but I thought, no, it was...
It was definitely one of the parts that I had to move on from.
Sharon Collon (35:57)
Have you ever had any close calls with sharks when you're out there?
Blakey (36:00)
We've seen them in the lineup and gotten out of there. Not super close, but I have had one experience that was just fully jaw dropping, beautiful, but sort of frightening at the same time. Sitting at my favourite wave out at Cronulla, out off the reef. So you're looking at the, just looking at big blue ocean. And so this rock shelf about 200 metres out, a big day. So the swells are long and beautiful coming in. We're waiting for the really big ones. We drift over the first wave of the set next to one friend who's sitting in the lineup, take off spot.
and just through the next big swell was this giant shape, almost the size of a station wagon. Big, big white and gray body just swimming slowly through this dark blue ocean wave. was just, it was so big and it was so elegant and smooth, swimming through that wave that we just froze and looked at it. And then didn't even look at each other, but just sort of took a breath and was like.
just watched it swim down the line as this wave went past. Looked at each other, didn't say anything, went over the next wave and the same thing. It was just cruising along the back out near, you know, on its own. eventually said, are you going in? I'm like, nah, that was pretty wild. That was like this moment, just beautiful, dominant thing, just the king of the ocean, making us know it was there, it was beautiful. It was really cool. I didn't feel scared, but.
I definitely had so much appreciation and I was happy of who's home it is when out there.
Sharon Collon (37:25)
Yeah, that's right. I had to ask that because when I was talking to my friend about interviewing you today, she was like, didn't he get worried at night time? Like in the night time when perhaps there's not as many much crowd around. Yeah, I mean, it's an awful long time to surf. Like we can't imagine 40 hours like you would have probably been hallucinating by the end, imagine.
Blakey (37:47)
I was
a little bit, I was definitely falling asleep on my surfboard and it was definitely without the care and support and the planning that went into something like that. I'm pretty spontaneous usually with any of my adventures, but without the careful planning of the foundation of my wife, of the council, of the lifeguards, I definitely wouldn't have survived that given it was a real surf. It wasn't a little gimmick, tiny wave. was trying to get most, it was a little authentic surf, one board, one wetsuit.
you know, coming in, getting checked for safety. But yeah, I gave it my all. Definitely. I definitely know stones unturned and I'm proud of it.
Sharon Collon (38:23)
it's amazing. And also raising awareness for a really good cause because what came out of these records that you have broken is people having conversations about mental health. And that's something you should be really, really proud of because I think it's something that we don't talk about. And when we do talk about it, we talk about it with stigma. And so I really, really welcome that conversation and like that we're talking about it a little bit more these days.
Awesome. Okay. Thank you so much, Blakey, for coming in and it's been such a pleasure to share your story.
Blakey (38:54)
Thank you for having me, Sharon.
