Hale School has announced an extension to its original school policy that delays access to smartphones and social media for Junior and Middle School students. This year the policy is being trialled for students from Pre-primary to Year 7. From 2026, this will be extended as the current Year 7s move into Year 8.
Feedback on the rollout of the policy was sought recently from Year 7 parents. Over 90% of respondents believed the School’s stance on social media had been a success and 93% supported extending it into Year 8 next year. 85% believed the delay of smartphones had been a success and 83% supported extending into Year 8. Most parents appreciated the uniformity of the policy, which eliminated peer pressure and normalised not having a phone with online connectivity. Other feedback included observations on:
- Improved social interactions, including fewer incidents of online exclusion, fear of missing out (FOMO) and peer comparison.
- More engagement in learning and reduced distractions.
- Greater participation in physical and leisure activities.
- Increased awareness of planning, time management and communication.
- Less conflict and negotiation at home.
- Less exposure to inappropriate content.
Much of this feedback was in line with the observations of teachers, who have noticed greater focus, presence and relational skills among this cohort of Year 7 students. The Junior School has also reported very positive feedback from both staff and parents.
Hale School Headmaster, Dean Dell’Oro said the initiative was a true collaboration between families and staff.
“We knew parents were concerned about the digital world and wanted to protect their children, but felt somewhat helpless on their own,” he said. “The power comes from working together as a community and that collaboration has made a real difference. This initiative would never have got off the ground if families hadn’t come together to support the policy.”
Hale’s policy came about as a response to increasing evidence and concern about the documented negative effects of exposure to online content and social media among children and adolescents. Hale is believed to be the first school in the nation to introduce such a policy and has seen interest from other schools around the country and the world. It comes in anticipation of the Federal Government legislation to lift age restrictions for social media to 16 years from December 2025.
