The Fountain

From the Deputy Principal

Research indicates that 90 per cent of a young person's socialisation occurs online which is not surprising given the number of social media platforms that are available. 

 

Of concern is what some students do and post online, the sites they visit and the comments they make including abusive, offensive, untruthful or inaccurate statements, all of which are permanent and affect their digital reputation. 

 

As parents, carers and educators it is important that we are aware of the picture students are painting of themselves online. When students communicate through a screen instead of in-person, they are missing out on critical social skills, which is evident in their inability to successfully engage at school. 

 

Given the pressure to be available 24/7, so many students experience increased anxiety and poor mental health. It is not uncommon for a student to state that even though they are part of a group chat, they feel like a spectator.

Cyber safety resources –SchoolTV 

How can we support young people to navigate their digital landscape?

 

SchoolTV provides a suite of cyber safety resources to support parents and carers, available online here. Topics include:

  • Impact of gambling
  • Online pornography
  • Sexting
  • Internet addiction 
  • Social media and digital reputation 
  • Cyber bullying

Next term, students and teachers will work with Susan McLean, the founder of Cyber Safety Solutions and Australia's foremost expert in cyber safety. Susan is widely known as the 'cyber cop', being the first officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people. Parents and carers will also have an opportunity to attend an information session. 

 

I would like to take this opportunity to remind students of the ICT Guidelines which they agreed to at the commencement of the year. These guidelines can be found on the College website here. 

One app that is incredibly popular among young people is TikTok, with an age limitation of 13 years. Senior students are not to create and upload videos to TikTok in their school uniform or whilst at school, and young students should not be accessing TikTok at all. 

 

I thank parents and carers for their support as it is crucial that we work together to support young people to navigate social media platforms in a safe and responsible way. 

 

Caroline Wilson-Haffenden 

Deputy Principal