As a school community, we remain committed to providing a safe, supportive, and focused learning environment for every young person in our care. In recent years, personal digital devices have become an increasingly prominent part of students’ lives – particularly for students in Years 7 to 9 - and with this has come a range of challenges for schools and families.

The Federal Government has recently implemented a social media ban for children under the age of 16, aimed at protecting young people. However, currently, many students’ daily online behaviours remain unchanged.

UPDATED ARRANGEMENTS AT COOLOCK FROM TERM 2

In response, and to better support student wellbeing, learning, and safety, Coolock will be implementing small, but important adjustments to the Student Use of Personal Digital Devices (PDD) Policy and Procedure, effective from the start of Term 2.

These changes apply only to students at Coolock and do not apply to students at St Mary’s.

The updated Policy, Procedure, FAQs, and a student poster are linked belowfor your reference.

What we are seeing in Years 7–9

In these year levels, we are experiencing:

• A significant increase in online bullying occurring during school hours, often through hidden messaging apps
• Unauthorised photos, videos, and recordings being taken and shared without consent
• Students filming incidents rather than seeking support from staff
• Social conflicts escalating as messages sent during class or breaks impact learning time

These behaviours can have serious emotional, social, and legal consequences for young people.

Reducing access to personal devices during the school day supports students to:

• Focus on learning
• Build healthier friendships
• Feel less anxious
• Take a break from constant online pressures
• Engage more fully in real‑world conversations and experiences

Key adjustments for families and students

A PDD includes mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, wireless or Bluetooth headphones/earbuds, and any emerging voice or data device that connects to a commercial mobile telecommunications service.

From Term 2

• Students must not enter the Coolock campus with phones in hand; Personal digital devices must be in bags on arrival.
• Phones must be locked in lockers upon arrival and remain there for the entire school day. These are to be switched off.
• Students may access their phones only at the end of the school day.

Our partnership with families

We appreciate your support as we implement these changes. We ask parents and carers to:

• Talk with your child about responsible and respectful device use.
• Reinforce the seriousness of recording others without permission.
• Support the school when devices are restricted or removed.
• Model healthy digital habits at home.
• Trust the school to manage student safety and wellbeing during the school day.

Together, these measures will help create a calmer, safer, and more focused learning environment for all students.