Australian adults surveyed recently rated excessive screen time as the top child health problem, with 58 per cent of all respondents identifying it as number one on the list.

It was the chief worry of 22 per cent of parents of six to 12-year-olds and 28 per cent of parents with children aged 13 and up, placing it ahead of obesity, bullying and internet safety, the first Australian Child Health Poll showed.

Dubbo-based Dr Libbey Murray of Charles Sturt University (CSU) says the result is no surprise and there are physical and mental health and social benefits to having time away from devices.

"There's talk in the media often about children having a sedentary kind of lifestyle and of that having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing and that is certainly true - we should not overlook that too much screen time isn't good for children or adolescents," Dr Murray said.

"So as long as there's an overall balance in what they're doing with their screen time use and having much more time outside, much more time learning through play, much more time in active pursuits."

But Dr Murray, associate head of CSU's school of teacher education and parent of two young children, also contested it was "not all bad all of the time".

She said there were benefits around children being able to learn and understand new things using the different mediums of tablets, smartphones and television, as long as they were engaging in appropriate use of technology.

Dr Murray reports there are guidelines about limiting children's use of technology, "especially in under twos it's not really recommended at all".

Parents and children using technology together could also be a different case.

"For children to engage in screentime activities with parents is something that's actually sometimes really important for children to do," the associate head of school said.

Dr Murray said parents had a key role.

"There's pressure on children from the media and from their peers to be involved in using screen time and it's certainly alluring," she said.

"It's interesting and it's engaging and so it's something we as parents have to be mindful... that it is so interesting and engaging.

"It's important then as parents to prepare to do other things that are just as interesting and engaging.

"And that can be time consuming for parents and tricky, as parents live a really busy lifestyle now."

Dr Murray said homework now often encouraged children to do things outside, help their parents prepare dinner or other kinds of household activities, or extracurricular physical activities.

"And that's part of their homework instead of, or as well as, reading or online maths kind of activities," she said.

"So that's a good thing - I think parents and teachers are all aware that too much screen time is an issue and are hopefully working together to make a change with that."

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne Australian Child Health Poll is a quarterly, national survey of Australian households.