With schools returning this week, the clichéd challenges – school refusal, missing lunchboxes and shoes that don’t fit - have been overshadowed by a very modern problem.

Local parents are pushing back against the onslaught of “ed-tech” in schools, after a summer holiday that involved a little too much screen time - or none at all.

“During the rainy days, my kids had their fair share of screen time,” a mum of three from Kiama Downs told The Bugle.

“I could see an immediate impact on their behaviour. All of my mum friends will relate.

“It’s really made me think about next year and setting better boundaries.”

Others had the opposite issue: they cut back on screen time during the summer months and reaped the benefits.

“The problem is, schools seem to be pushing tech,” one mum said. “It feels like we’re fighting a losing battle.”

New research from HP Australia has highlighted this digital dilemma.

According to the research, 65 per cent of parents say holiday screen time makes the transition back to school harder.

At the same time, an overwhelming 83 per cent of parents want to reduce their child’s screen time as the school year begins.

But what happens when the tech is prescribed by the education system?

From kindergarten upwards, many local schools now use an online system for homework reading.

Instead of being sent home with paper books, families are instructed to log onto an online “decodable reader” system, accessed via a computer, phone or iPad.

For some families, it’s easier and more accessible. For others, it leads to tears and overstimulation.

“We do our homework reading together before bed,” said one dad.

“So, I’m handing my child an iPad - after spending the evening trying to take a device away from them.”

As with most school-age issues, it’s not black and white.

Many parents don’t realise they can still request “paper” home readers from their school, allowing them to take a more old-fashioned approach.

Supportive educators have even taken the time to print out books from the online software, binding them into physical copies for students to take home.

And then there’s the social aspect.

“My seven-year-old asks to FaceTime her friends after school,” said a local mum.

“It’s become normalised. I’ve encouraged them to write notes and post them to each other instead - and they love it.

“I’ve bought a paper calendar and notebook for myself this year. It’s all a learning curve, but we can’t tell our kids to reduce their screen time if we can’t live without one.”