At the end of Term 3, a local police Liaison Officer spoke to Years 7 and 8 students about online cyber safety, bullying and image sharing. This talk provided the girls with some helpful reminders about the impact of their digital footprint and legal implications of image sharing or making comments about others online. At this stage of the year, there is often movement in friendship groupings and student interests, and sometimes girls can engage in negative online behaviours as they navigate the complexities of these social dynamics.
At Meriden, we recommend parents take control of the phone when their daughters are at home. At school, all phones must be kept in the girls’ lockers during the school day, and any phones that are used at school are confiscated by staff. We rely on parents to supervise their daughters’ use of their phones after hours and during the school holidays to prevent harmful conversations taking place online that impact the girls’ safety, overall sense of worth and wellbeing.
We recommend that parents:
- Follow social media age restrictions
- Discuss what bullying is and isn’t with their daughter – the Liaison Officer shared this helpful video with the girls
- Do not allow mobile phones to be kept in bedrooms, particularly overnight
- Investigate parental control apps to help monitor their daughter’s screen time and content
- Check in with their daughters regularly about their phone usage, privacy settings and who they are talking to online
- Ensure that study is done in open spaces in the home as much as is practicable, so that parents are aware of how laptops are being used (as some social media websites can be accessed using a laptop)
- Encourage girls to engage in social activities with one another in person, rather than online.
The following resources are helpful for parents who want to learn more about online bullying and safety concerns, and how to report these to relevant authorities: