This week I have reminded all students grade 3-6 about our ICT appropriate use policy and the legal expectations surrounding the responsible use of technology.

Could I ask all parents to please be aware of and monitor the content children are accessing on their phones and the social media apps that they are down-loading and using on their devices.

Australia is currently developing a new law which requires social media platforms to prevent children under 16 years of age from creating accounts, a measure expected to be in place by December 2025 to protect young people from online harms.

While the platforms are responsible for enforcement and face penalties for non-compliance, parents can support their children by fostering trust, discussing online risks, and setting clear rules around internet use to promote digital citizenship. 

THE NEW AUSTRALIAN LAW

A Minimum Age: The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 mandates that social media platforms take "reasonable steps" to stop users under 16 from creating or having accounts.

Platform Responsibility: Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat will be held legally responsible for verifying user ages.

Timeline: The law was passed in December 2024 and platforms have until December 2025 to implement age verification systems.

We ask that if your child is not of a legal age to have the platforms listed above to please remove them from their personal devices.

History shows that primary age students don’t have the maturity to utilise these platforms in a responsible and safe way.

It’s important that children understand that online bullying or threatening someone via these platforms is a serious offence and once they hit send their digital footprint is there forever.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS BEING BULLIED AND THREATENED

If your child is being bullied or threatened online:

• Don't Respond: Do not engage with the bully, as this can encourage their behavior and escalate the situation.
• Collect Evidence: Take screenshots or save text messages and posts as evidence of the bullying, noting the date and time.
• Block the Bully: Block the individual's account on the social media app and their phone number to stop further communication.
• Report to the Platform: Report the bullying content directly to the social media platform, which is obligated to remove such content.
• Report to the eSafety Commissioner: If the social media site doesn't remove the bullying material, report it to the eSafety Commissioner for help.
• Involve the Police: If the threats are serious, or if there are explicit or illegal messages, contact the police immediately.

ONGOING SUPPORT FOR YOUR CHILD:

Privacy Settings: Ensure your child's social media and app privacy settings are set to private so only approved contacts can see their information.

Open Communication: Talk to your child about the incident and their feelings, creating a safe space for them to share their experiences.

Trusted Adults: Encourage your child to talk to trusted friends, parents, or other adults about the situation.

School Involvement: Inform your child's school, as they can provide support which can be of assistance.

SCHOOL REFUSAL

One of the biggest challenges parents face with their child’s schooling is dealing with school refusal. School refusal (also known as school avoidance) is when a young person becomes very distressed and anxious about going to school, to the point that they refuse to attend.

Questions parents and carers often ask about school refusal include:

• What will happen if my child keeps refusing to go to school?
• If a student continues to refuse to attend school, who is accountable or responsible for what?
• Is it illegal for my child not to attend school?
• Can I or my child get into legal trouble if they refuse to go to school?
• What is truancy and is it the same as school refusal?

These are complex questions, and the answers will depend on which state or territory you live in.

Many parents and carers have trouble finding accurate information about school refusal or find the available information confusing or overwhelming. If this is you, you’re certainly not alone! We’ve put together all the relevant legal information about school refusal and truancy (when a child is wrongfully avoiding school) for Victorian based schools.

What is truancy and how does it differ from refusal?

Truancy is more commonly known as ‘skipping’ or ‘wagging’ school. It’s when students are absent from school, either for the whole day or for certain classes, without a good reason or their parents’ knowledge. They might use the time they’re supposed to be at school to stay home, hang out with friends or go to the shops, park, movies or other places.

School refusal is different to truancy because children’ who are ‘wagging’ are often hiding the fact that they are missing school from their parents or carers. Children who refuse to attend school aren’t trying to hide it, and they usually stay home with their parents’ or carers’ knowledge.

What happens if my child refuses to attend school?

There are many steps involved if your child frequently refuses to attend school, and the specific steps depend on which state or territory you live in.

If you’re worried about your child’s school refusal, the best first step is to contact their school to discuss your concerns with a teacher or relevant staff member, and to ask what avenues of support are available. They may recommend counselling or might create a management plan to help your child with attending school.

If your child continues to refuse to attend school and available avenues of support have been exhausted without any changes to your child’s attendance, then a report needs to be made by the school to our employer DOSCEL and there may be legal repercussions for parents.

This might sound scary and overwhelming, so please be aware that legal action will be taken only when the school has exhausted every other avenue of management and there are no other options available.

Is my child’s school accountable for their school refusal?

Schools and teachers do have certain responsibilities when it comes to their students refusing to attend classes, or school in general, but every school will have its own policies and procedures.

Generally, the schools responsibilities can include:

• noticing absenteeism, lateness, unexplained absences, or frequent absences on significant days (e.g. days when they have tests or exams)
• noticing if a student frequently spends time in the sick bay, or often asks to go home due to illness.
• reporting concerns about a child's attendance patterns – how this is specifically done (e.g. whether it’s reported to a principal, supervisor, learning support team or school counsellor) will depend on each school’s policies.
• making contact with the child’s parents and communicating with them about their concerns
• ensuring that parents have all the relevant information they need about school refusal, absenteeism and truancy.
• working with parents to develop management plans to assist the student with returning

School attendance requirements in Victoria

In Victoria, schooling is compulsory for young people from age 6 until age 17.

A school will notify you and organise a management plan with you if your child has more than five ‘unapproved or unexplained’ absences in one school year. The school may refer you to a school attendance officer, who will monitor your child’s attendance and work with you to organise an attendance management plan for them.

If strategies to help your child attend school haven’t worked, the school can issue an official warning or lodge an infringement notice via DOSCEL.

However, Victoria’s Education and Training Reform Act 2006 recognises that absences from school due to school refusal (or ‘disobedience’, such as in the case of truancy) aren’t the fault of the parent, so this may be considered a ‘reasonable excuse’ for absence. This means that absences arising from school refusal shouldn’t be considered as ‘unapproved or unexplained’ absences.

Support for parents of children refusing to go to school.

Many parents find this information overwhelming or upsetting, but it’s important to know there are lots of options for management, mediation and support before things get to the point of your being fined or prosecuted. The best thing to do first is to speak to your child’s school and ask what support options are available.

School refusal can be a really distressing experience for parents and carers, so it’s important to look after yourself and your mental health as well.

It’s a tough and tricky situation at times but children need to understand and accept that they are legally required to attend school on a daily basis.

If your child is struggling with school attendance, please reach out to your child’s teacher as a start point.

ENJOYING QUALITY FAMILY CONVERSATIONS

This weeks conversation starters, to help you kick off some quality conversations with your family.

• Is it ever ok for a child to keep a secret from their parents?
• What would be the best job in the world and why?
• If you could be any animal in the world what would it be and why?

The goal? To help build a routine—whether it’s nightly dinners, drives to school, or even just one dedicated evening a week for “Family Conversation Night” (no screens allowed!).

You’ll be amazed at the magic that unfolds once it becomes a family habit.

INCLUSSIVE EDUCATION

Positive parent partnerships are offering a great opportunity to parents via free online workshop where you will have the opportunity to listen, share and learn with parents and carers who support young autistic people from across all states.

Learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the partnership between home and school.

• This online workshop is four short sessions spread over four weeks.
• Each session contains unique information and attending all will provide the best learning.
• These workshops are interactive online sessions, delivered via Zoom. Each session has a separate registration.