Student Wellbeing Update

New Social Media Regulations in Victoria: What It Means for the Damascus College Community

As a Mercy community, Damascus College is deeply committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment—both within the school and in the digital world. Over the last number of years, House Leaders and Year Level Coordinators have spent and enormous amount of time educating and navigating the complex world of Social Media. The College welcomes these reforms however they do require support and commitment from families to ensure the large tech companies become accountable. This applies to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

Damascus College are called to ensure that students engage with technology in a way that aligns with our values of respect, compassion, and justice. The following regulations, which came into effect this year, place greater accountability on social media platforms and their users, particularly within educational settings.

Key Aspects of the New Regulations:

• Age Verification – Social media platforms must implement stricter age verification processes to prevent underage access to inappropriate content.
• Cyberbullying Prevention – Enhanced measures are in place to detect and remove harmful online content, including bullying, harassment, and threats.
• Parental Controls and Monitoring – Increased transparency and control for parents over their children’s social media activity.
• Stricter Consequences for Online Misconduct – Harsher penalties for individuals engaging in harmful digital behaviours, reinforcing the importance of respectful online interactions.

At Damascus College, we believe that our students must navigate the digital landscape with integrity and kindness, reflecting the Gospel values that underpin our approach to education. To support this, we encourage parents and carers to play an active role in guiding their children’s online interactions.

How Parents and Carers Can Support Safe and Responsible Social Media Use:

1. Stay Informed – Familiarise yourself with the latest social media regulations, platform policies, and age restrictions.
2. Educate and Empower – Have open, ongoing conversations with your child about online safety, responsible social media use, and the impact of their digital footprint.
3. Monitor and Set Boundaries – Use parental controls, establish screen time limits, and encourage mindful social media engagement.
4. Encourage Positive Digital Citizenship – Promote respectful interactions, kindness, and ethical decision-making in online spaces.
5. Report Harmful Content – Teach your child how to report cyberbullying and inappropriate material, and take action when necessary.
6. Model Healthy Online Behaviour – Demonstrate respectful and thoughtful social media use as an example for your child.
7. Engage with the School Community – Stay connected with Damascus College’s policies on social media and participate in parent education opportunities on digital wellbeing. We look forward to offering one of these workshops in term 2.
8. Support Mental Well-being – Be mindful of signs of social media-related anxiety or stress, and ensure your child feels supported in navigating challenges.

Together, as a Mercy community, we have the opportunity to foster a culture of digital respect and responsibility. By working in partnership, we can ensure that Damascus College students develop the skills and awareness to engage with social media in a way that reflects our shared values of dignity, compassion, and justice.

While this is very late notice I draw you attention to tonight presentation on School TV as advertised in this newsletter.

From Andy Robertson, Assistant Principal – Student Wellbeing