Why We're Reshaping How Our School Uses Social Media

17 December 2025

Last week Australia’s new social media laws for children under 16 came into effect. Like many school leaders, I’ve spent considerable time reflecting on what these changes mean. Not just in terms of compliance, but in how schools model responsible, ethical digital practice.

At St Joseph’s College, we sought expert advice from Kirra Pendergast (Ctrl Shift), who works extensively with schools across Australia on digital risk, wellbeing and governance. Her guidance was clear and challenging and it prompted us to ask some important questions.

If the research tells us that social media environments are not appropriate or safe for children, what message do we send when schools continue to use those same platforms to showcase students?If we are asking young people to step back from these spaces, how do we justify relying on them for connection, celebration and communication?

These questions don’t have simple answers, but they deserve thoughtful consideration.

Kirra’s advice to schools is, in many cases, to step away from social media entirely, particularly given the risks around data harvesting, deepfakes, screenshotting and the fact that schools are legally considered publishers of the content they post. She also challenges the long-held belief that social media is inherently a space of joy and connection for children. The evidence increasingly suggests otherwise.

So why didn’t we simply delete our accounts?

Because schools don’t exist only for those already inside the gates.

Social media remains one of the most powerful ways to reach prospective families, future staff, alumni and community partners. In regional communities especially, visibility matters. Enrolments matter. Recruitment matters. And in a landscape where other schools may not change their practices at all, a complete withdrawal risks creating a different kind of inequity, one of reach and opportunity.

With all that in mind, our response was not to walk away, but to reshape.

At our College we are repositioning our social media as an outward-facing marketing channel for adults, not a tool for student connection or celebration. We will no longer feature identifiable students under 16 on our platforms. Where we do occasionally feature senior students, it will be done with informed consent and careful consideration.

From now on, the real work of connection, celebrating student learning, achievements, culture and community will live in channels we control. Our internal school management system Compass. Our school newsletters. Our secure photo galleries. Direct communication with families. Spaces that don’t depend on children having social media accounts.

This shift has required us to rethink long-standing habits. It will mean investing more intentionally in our own communication platforms. And it has required us to be transparent with our staff, families and students about why we are changing.

But I believe this moment presents an opportunity for schools. An opportunity to align practice with principle, to model ethical leadership in digital spaces and to show young people that it’s possible to engage with technology thoughtfully.

The new laws are not the end of the conversation, but they are the beginning of a more honest one. As school leaders, we are educators not just in classrooms, but in culture. The choices we make now will shape how young people understand visibility, privacy, consent and wellbeing in a digital world.

For us, reshaping our use of social media is a small but important part of that responsibility.

Anne Marie Cairns

Principal

St Joseph's College Echuca