With the Albanese government’s commitment to introduce a minimum age limit for social media use before the next election, opinions vary about how effective his proposal might be. EducationDaily spoke to Loreto College Marryatville Principal Kylie McCullah in South Australia for her perspective on the importance of protecting children’s mental health and well-being.
She strongly supports the proposed age restrictions and believes that increasing the minimum age for social media access will help mitigate the growing concerns around anxiety, depression, and body image issues, particularly among young girls.
Loreto College Marryatville has successfully implemented a ‘No Phone Policy’ for the past two years, resulting in what McCullah says are noticeable improvements in student focus and academic outcomes.
“New, stronger safety measures, such as more rigorous age verification processes and enhanced parental controls, must be exercised and implemented for real safety to be delivered,” she told EducationDaily.
The school’s decision to actively engage and consult students during the development of its phone policy played a key role in its success. The feedback from students showed overwhelming support for upholding the ban, as many felt relieved from the social pressure of phone usage during school hours.
“The feedback from the girls was rather than changing our policy regarding being allowed to access their phones at school, the girls wanted us to uphold our policy of no phones at school. Teenagers find themselves under a lot of social pressure when it comes to phone usage and by having a no phone rule, the girls found this much easier as they didn’t need to conform to peer pressure,” McCullah says.
A key component to Loreto College’s integration of the ban was implicitly teaching students responsible phone usage. McCullah says this important topic is a core focus of the school’s Social, Emotional and Academic Development (SEAD) Program, where students not only reflect on positive phone usage but how to keep safe online and deconstruct the many images, they will see online so that they do not judge themselves against them causing further mental health issues surrounding body image.
McCullah believes the presence of mobile phones in the classroom can disrupt concentration and impede academic progress. She supports increasing the minimum age requirement for accessing these platforms.
“As mobile phones and social media continue to shape our current landscape, Loreto College remains committed to prioritising the well-being and academic development of its students,” she told EducationDaily.
Despite this, McCullah says mobile phones and social media do have an important part to play in educational settings, albeit not in the classroom.
“Smartphones offer access to a wealth of educational resources, productivity apps, and interactive learning platforms,” she says.
“Students are not permitted access to their mobile phone during regular school hours, unless under the explicit supervision of their teacher for educational purposes.”
