The term is now in full swing with exam and assessment season upon us. The HSC is continuing and we are proud of the efforts of this year’s students. In the Senior School Years 7 and 9 concluded last week and Years 8 and 10 concluded today. Junior School is also doing assessments during class time. Please note, learning continues whether there are exams or not. As parents, our instinct is often to shield our children from discomfort or disappointment. Yet, allowing them to experience nervousness and navigate stress can be a powerful part of their growth. These moments help build resilience, emotional strength, and a deeper understanding of themselves as learners. Supporting them with encouragement, rather than solutions, can foster independence and confidence, qualities that will serve them well beyond the classroom.
It is the same with the way we support them as they develop friendships. Social dynamics also come with ups and downs. We need to give our children space to experience these moments and work through relationship struggles to develop maturity. Our role is to guide and support – not rescue – so they can grow into thoughtful and resilient individuals.
I want to encourage you all in this space as we prepare for the upcoming changes to social media laws in Australia. From December 10, platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat will be required to remove accounts held by users under 16, aiming to protect young people from harmful content and online pressures. Students usually access these platforms on their phones which is why our College maintains clear guidelines around phone use during school hours. Australia is the first country in the world to introduce these changes and we are being applauded by experts for proactively seeking to prevent young people from engaging with content and habits for which they are not yet ready. Many young people post comments, images and create polls which they believe are harmless. They do not have the maturity to see the multiple ways that their material can be perceived. In most cases they do not intend to hurt others. Yet many of the issues we manage at College are connected to social media interactions and unhelpful choices that damage friendship groups.
Here are a few practical ways parents can support their children during this transition:
- - Start having conversations with your child – Have you heard about the new age limit for social media?
- - Understand their emotions whilst helping them to see the impact on others.
- - Present the changes positively by explaining other ways that connections can be developed.
- - Model healthy habits with phones and social media use yourself.
Remember that we grow when we are uncomfortable. Our role, as a community is not to remove every obstacle, but to equip our young people with the wisdom to navigate challenges.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
- Proverbs 22:6