Wellbeing Matters

New Community Services Directory on BSC Website

We’re pleased to let families know that we now have a Community Services Directory on the BSC website. This page provides links to a range of wellbeing services available to students and parents in our community.

Teen Health Info for Adolescents

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has now developed Teen Health Info for adolescents which is in addition to their Kids Health Info for parents. It is relevant health content created for young people, with young people in consultation with the Royal Children’s Hospital specialist clinicians. 

The teen-focused resources are there to help young people to make informed decisions about their health. Learn from other teens on social media or deep dive into health topics that matter to you through medical fact sheets. 

Teen Health Info includes information on various physical and mental health issues, as well as navigation of the Australian healthcare system. The site also provides links to the information and commentary on social media channels (Insta and YouTube) and includes a mechanism for young people to request topics for the creation of new Teen Health Info sheets.

Why are under-16s being ‘banned’ from social media? 

From mid-December, Australian children under 16 will not be allowed to hold accounts on certain social media platforms. The age restrictions are likely to apply to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, among other platforms. Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among a number of types of services that have been excluded. 

It’s not a ban. It’s a delay to having accounts.   

Being logged into an account increases the likelihood that under-16s will be exposed to pressures and risks that can be hard to deal with. For example, the pressure to respond to a stream of notifications and alerts, and the risk of exposure to content that can harm their health and wellbeing. Delaying account access until 16 will give young people more time to build digital literacy, critical reasoning, impulse control and greater resilience.

It’s important that parents and carers help under-16s by talking openly about the age restrictions, finding out how they currently use social media and how they may be impacted by the law.

eSafety will provide more information and guidance over the coming months. Check out our tips below on what you can do now to help your family prepare.

How to help your teen when they’re feeling lonely and isolated

Webinars for parents and carers |eSafety Commissioner

Community Mentors for Students

We often get asked within the Wellbeing Team about community mentors for students and ‘A Path to Follow’ is a local organisation which has just that. Read more here.

Ms Dilek Yucel (Psychologist, Head of Wellbeing), Ms Rachel Felmingham (Mental Health Practitioner), Mr Elin Kim (Counsellor), Ms Tara Coates (Social Worker) and Bali (Therapy Dog)