Information for Parents regarding Student Group Chats

Over the past few months, we have been receiving an increasing number of parental concerns for the content that is shared between Year 3-6 students using online group chats in social media apps (e.g the “messages” app).

These chats have occurred outside of school hours using apps that are not recommended by the school.  It is reported the content that is being shared is highly inappropriate, offensive, sexualised, of a bullying nature, and does not in any way reflect the values we hold at NMPS nor hope to instil in our students within their communities.

We understand the parents like to keep in contact with their child using Messages, however, Messages is not a school app and we recommend students do not use this app to communicate in groups with each other.   

To use Messages, a child must create an Apple ID - which they cannot legally do until they are 13 years old.  So if your child is using messages, they have done so using your approval (through family sharing) or they have created an account without your knowledge.

Recommendations:

We understand that parents know their children best and have their own strategies for keeping them safe. However, these are some suggestions to help your child stay safe online:

1. Talk to your child about messages. It is important that you know if your child is using messages, and who they communicate with.
2. Set expectations that phones, laptops & iPads are used in shared spaces and not in “private spaces” (e.g bedrooms).
3. Set up screentime.  Parents can manage or block social media & messaging apps using a feature called "screentime".  A video showing you how to do this can be found here. Screentime is free, but there are also more comprehensive paid options such as Ourpact, Family Zone, etc.
4. If you wish your child to use messaging apps, encourage them to communicate with individuals rather than using groups (where there is a lot less control).

Screentime is also very useful for setting time limits on iPad use, blocking inappropriate content, and 13+ apps. 

Currently, we are also seeking to secure external professional input to help support and educate students on this topic. We are in the process of exploring guest speakers, online delivery platforms, and the continuation of in-class learning and advice. We foresee this occurring early in 2022.