The study finds one in three preschoolers now have their own smart devices.
Alice Pryor is a representative of Parents' Voice, an online network of parents. She says it is fairly common for children to show their darker sides when computer time ends.
It is a struggle new research shows two-thirds of parents battle on a daily basis.
A study by Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital shows the vast majority of children far exceed the national guidelines calling for no more than two hours of screen time a day.
Three-quarters of parents admitted in the study they do not limit screen time.
The author of the research, Royal Children's Hospital paediatrician Anthea Rhodes, says it is a new era of what she calls "iParenting."
The research found, while almost all Australian teenagers have a phone or tablet, two in three primary-school students and more than one in three preschoolers had mobile devices.
The average screen time was up to 32 hours per week.
Dr Rhodes says the consequences of excessive screen time are showing.
The psychological effects of replacing human interaction with digital interaction has doctors concerned about the mental development of the next generation.
Dr Rhodes says real human interaction is essential for brain development.
And she says she sees worrying signs.
But with parents averaging 40 hours a week themselves, the older generation is setting the example.
The research shows almost two-thirds of parents have experienced a family conflict over the use of screen-based devices.
And with technology showing no signs of turning back, Alice Pryor says the only way forward is to learn to live with the devices.
"We're definitely the iGeneration, the iParents, and we're the first generation of parents who have this availability of screens with our kids. And we're going to be the frontier of how we manage that."
