Managing social media usage

Dear parents and carers,

With the approaching school holiday break there is the strong possibility that students will be spending an increased amount of time connecting via online platforms. Often parents can be unaware of their child’s online activity. It is now more important than ever that parents keep a close watch over their child's social media accounts and closely monitor their activity so that they can support their child’s mental wellbeing, help them maintain appropriate social interactions and ensure their physical safety. 

With this in mind, we encourage you to take the time to have a conversation with your child in order to understand what accounts they are currently using and the types of interactions and conversations they are engaging in online and strongly suggest that you monitor these platforms regularly. 

Some important points to be aware of: 

some students have more than one account on a particular social media platform; 

some students' accounts may have been created under false names and identities;

students may be online with people they don’t know personally (ie older friends, cousins or siblings of their classmates) and therefore, your child may not always know exactly who they are communicating with;

 

many social media platforms have age requirements;

once something is written and posted online it can be shared more widely without the author's knowledge or permission and cannot be taken back or simply deleted. 

If you would like further information and/or support the Esafety Commissioner website has a number of useful resources - see below:

Wishing you and your families a happy and safe holiday!

Kindest regards,

Cecil Hills High School