Forget sleepy Sunday mornings and fresh family brekkies. There’s a new digital trend budding in households across Australia, and it’s planting the seeds of late-night chaos.
Grow a Garden, one of the fastest-growing games on the Roblox platform, is turning weekend wind-downs into full-blown digital dirt fights, thanks to its weekly update.
In this viral farming simulator, players can plant seeds, harvest crops, earn in-game currency (Sheckles), unlock mutations and hatch pets to boost their garden’s efficiency. And everything keeps growing, even when you’re offline.
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But each Saturday night, thousands of Australian kids from primary to high school age are glued to their screens.
Watering pixelated plants and harvesting virtual carrots, the kids are in for the chance to score limited edition items only sprouting when the clock strikes midnight.
The Roblox game broke a world record in July with over 22.3 million people playing at the same time, becoming the first game to pass 20 million and beating popular titles like Fortnite.
Grow a Garden might be wholesome in appearance (flowers! veggies! bees!), but it’s become the root of a problem for parents watching their kids trade sleep for screen time.
Reality vs Roblox: One tomato from school wilted and half-dead. the other’s living its best life online at midnight. Credit: 7NEWS.com.aui
Nicole Finn, mum of three young Roblox fans aged 13, 11 and 7, said she initially said “absolutely not” to staying awake for the midnight madness.
“I thought it was ridiculous,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
“I assumed the timing was due to an American inventor, but my children tell me he’s from New Zealand so it makes no sense!”
But that didn’t stop her 13-year-old daughter from sneaking in a cheeky late-night log-on.
“When we checked her device it was clear she’d been on so she admitted it and was telling her brothers how fabulous it was and that so many friends were on there.
“I’m probably starting to soften my stance and may let them go on every now and then … because just saying no clearly didn’t work!”
Why are kids digging it?
The drawcard here is the midnight drop: log in at the right time and you get exclusive in-game goodies.
No Robux required. Just your REM sleep.
Associate Professor Alex Russell, a researcher in psychology and gaming at Central Queensland University, said it all makes sense when you look at the big picture:
Kids have always loved collecting rare things, whether it’s footy cards or Pokemon.
Grow a Garden taps into that same energy.
“There are free limited-edition perks available during the midnight update,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.
“They can give kids a bit of a sense of exclusivity, or even status amongst their peers – just like having a very rare trading card.”
But that status comes at a price: sleep debt.
Brisbane Grade 4 teacher Alexandra McDonald told 7NEWS.com.au her students often turn up tired on Monday mornings, admitting she didn’t realise first a game release was behind it.
“It’s quite concerning, as these kids are only 9 or 10 years’ old.”
The in-game events happen at 10am Eastern Time (US), which means midnight Sydney time at this side of the world.
An “unfortunate side effect of a simultaneous worldwide release,” Russell said.
But what is the purpose behind the free rewards?
“These games need people to keep logging in to make money,” Russel explained.
“Even if it’s not technically gambling, the randomised reward structure feels like it.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get. And the excitement of maybe getting something rare is enough to keep them coming back.
“And, giving people free rewards can increase interest in these rewards, driving in-game purchases for other items.”
Late-night gaming is blooming online, but it’s leaving some kids running on empty the next day. Credit: tock.adobe.comHow can parents stem the obsession?
While Roblox has its safety features – and Grow a Garden is far from the worst the platform has to offer – the update timing is leaving parents feeling, well, uprooted.
Another mum, Hayley Devlin, has negotiated her way through the digital flowerbed.
“Both Alice and Vinny love the game. Alice is 14 so I let her stay up on weekends.
“Vinny’s 10, so we make a deal – early bedtime, then he sets an alarm and wakes up just before midnight for the event.”
While your child’s virtual garden may be blossoming with tulips and tomatoes, your own offspring may be wilting on the couch come Sunday morning, moodier than a Queensland thunderstorm by Sunday afternoon.
“Excessive screen time not only leads to sleep disturbance and lack of physical activity, but also a potential decline in critical thinking skills – this can happen in adults as well as children and teenagers., explained Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, an internationally recognised parenting support initiative.
In the quiet of the night, many teens log on to grab limited-edition rewards — often at the cost of sleep Credit: stock.adobe.com
Triple P encourages parents to model healthy screen habits.
“It’s a team event! Managing screen time includes the whole family.”
They recommend setting clear boundaries around when and where devices can be used.
“Research suggests that children under 5 should have a maximum of 1 hour, and 5-17-year-olds should have a maximum of 2 hours of recreational screen time daily.”
Rather than laying down rules without explanation, they advise keeping communication open.
“Have open and honest conversations with your child or teen, so they don’t feel blindsided or unsupported in their feelings.”
And most importantly, they remind parents to be patient.
“There’s no one size fits all solution and you don’t need to get it perfect from the start.”
Other tips from parent online include: “If your kid ‘must’ log in for the update, make a deal: chores and homework first, and maybe even a midday nap.”
According to one dad, the ultimate hack – sent the kids to bed, log in yourself and collect the goods.
“Parental power move,” he claimed.
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