Deputy Principal

Changing Technology

I was interested to read over the holidays a number of articles on how technology is changing. The amount of time we spend on technology and the types of technology we use are changing very quickly. 

Gen Alpha – those born between 2010 and 2024 have never heard of technologies like Myspace, street directories, MP3 players or fax machines. In fact, a lot of them will have never lived in a place with a landline phone. Some will never have seen a car key that has a physical key and is not just a push of the button and physical credit cards and cash are on the way out as well as the analogue watch.

They have grown up with norms like Ipad, GoPro and 3D printers. The Apple watch and Fortnite are readily available. ChatGPT will be their tool of use as will self-driving cars. They see endless opportunities in being able to communicate so quickly with anyone, anywhere in the world.

They live in a world where technology is taken for granted and we as parents/carers, especially during COVID, gave them so much time on their devices. They had to use technology to access school - what were they really accessing while they were at School? In some ways I guess, we will never know.

We know for our teenagers and young adults that a lot of them see their smartphone as an extension of their arm. It travels with them everywhere, never leaving their side. I have had parents tell me that it goes with them to the toilet and to the shower. McCrindle Research shows that 80% of our teenagers look at their phone as the last thing they do before they go to bed and 74% pick it up as the first thing they do in the morning. Our generation is not much better with 60% of us looking at our phones in the three minutes prior to going to bed.

I know I have written about this before; however, the research also shows that our children should not have their devices with them in their room overnight. It has a negative impact on their mental health. I know they will use the excuse of needing it as they use it for their alarm clock. Having had a look at Kmart recently, you can buy an old-fashioned alarm clock for $7.50.

How much are we monitoring what they are viewing on their devices? The Australian Institute of Family Studies and WA Child Safety Services report that the average age of first exposure to pornography is between 8 and 10 years old. With the never-ending news cycle and global conflicts, our children are also exposed to violent confrontations and extreme violence on the Internet. 

I spoke to all the students this week about their use of technology and more specifically about their use of social media. As parents/carers we must continue to reinforce ground rules for our children on how they use their devices and their use of social media. We must also model it ourselves.

Yesterday was Safer Internet Day 2024. Can I recommend all parents/carers have a look at the eSafetyCommisioner website. It provides a large number of resources for parents/carers, young adults, kids, and educators. In order to educate our children, we must do this together. We have given them this amazing tool. Smartphones and other devices do so much for us. However, they can be dangerous. Just as we teach our children to drive, it is essential that we teach them how to use their devices to keep not only themselves safe but all of us safe, happy, and healthy.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal