Social Media Ban’s (Positive) Effect on a School’s Environment

We are all far too online, it's a bad but very common habit to be checking your phone, flicking through short form video, checking Instagram DMs.

But while were looking at the screen life is passing by and with it, real experiences that are actually worthwhile.

Ava, a Year 9 student at Loreto Normanhurst, which moved on a socials ban before the national under 16s restriction came into effect, has noticed that a limiting of screens has opened up her time for other activities.

“What surprised me the most about being offline was that I had more time to be with friends and family, exercise and play sports and learn new hobbies and skills. I liked having the ability to disconnect and do activities that I enjoy with the people I love. Additionally, I also felt calm and more relaxed with no distractions and allowed me to focus on other things,” she says.

As with any addiction, life without the object of the addiction, screens, was initially met with some anxiety, but that has quickly resolved.

Sarah in Year 10 says “Life without social media has been very different, but not as bad as I was expecting. Although the days following the ban were hard, and sometimes very boring, I found other things to keep me occupied. I feel like my friendships became more genuine and closer, as we no longer could just send each other a snap a few times a day, we now had to reach out to each other and ask genuine questions.

“My friends and I spent more time outside, going to the beach, swimming in pools and making connections without having a screen in front of us to distract us from each other. Without social media I have gone outside more which has benefited my wellbeing and made me have a more positive outlook on life. Even though I find myself wishing I could scroll on TikTok or make an Instagram post occasionally, I have filled that space with other things that benefit me and my mental health.”

The school did the groundwork before the socials ban, encouraging the idea that the bans rather than a deficit were an opportunity.

“We tried very hard to educate our students and parent community that the social media delay laws are to help them to develop healthily, and give them the space and time to focus on their holistic wellbeing. Many students understood this messaging, even though I know it was hard for some to adjust. We heard great plans about seeing each other face to face more often and doing activities together. Our school community sees this as the start of the conversation about how society can better educate young people to be safe and healthy, and it’s a great reminder for adults to look at their own tech use and how we need to model this to young people too,” says Marysa Boland, Director of Pastoral Care.

Shelly Ackland, Counselling Services Manager adds, “In the lead up to the Social media minimum age requirements coming into effect, we worked closely with our community to encourage viewing the change as an opportunity to reset how young people engage with digital technology during a crucial developmental stage.”

While there was angst about the change, the school encouraged parents to consider:
•    Are they more concerned about the potential inconvenience and backlash from their children as the minimum age comes into effect, or
•    Are they more alarmed by the evidence of negative impacts of excessive screen time and social media consumption, what this displaces, and the impact on their children’s cognitive, social and emotional development?

Through information sessions for parents and students, Loreto encouraged preparing for the change with open communication as well as practical strategies such as saving content, setting up alternative ways to connect with friends, and planning offline activities.

There was positive interest from parents to work in partnership with each other and the school towards more intentional and age-appropriate use of technology. Students were really engaged in sessions aimed to provide them with information and tips to help them prepare and adjust.

Loreto is in the process of investigating students' and parents' experience since December 10.

Amelia, Year 10, says, “Not having social media before the ban was sometimes quite isolating, as I am part of a generation used to communicating via social media. Sometimes group chats regarding, sport or class work would be made on social media, resulting in a misunderstanding about plans or work assignment as I and other friends were not on social media. 

“Observing not only my peers’ reactions but my parents, it is quite clear what a unique and exceptional predicament we are in. We are the first generation to grow up with social media. Not only are we learning to navigate it, we are doing it alongside our parents.

“We are still in the reaction stage of figuring out what the ban means for different age groups and the offline world. So far, I haven’t seen too many reactions about the ban, though when it was initially announced it was, for a while, a big talking topic amongst my friend group but slowly it faded away. Mostly because half of us didn’t have it to begin with, so we communicated more in person than online anyway.

“I think that the social media ban will take a more visible effect later, on the generation after us, because they will grow up with it like we did, except this time, they will have laws and structures and raised awareness that we didn’t have at first. I hope that other areas around the globe might be adopting privacy and age restrictions laws to protect their youth too.”