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Technology & Digital Safety

NOVEMBER 8, 2025 - Jacqie Jones with her children Jackson, Tae, Ace, Isaiah and Steve, who are preparing for the social media ban. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Technology & Digital Safety

Mum-of-six cracks down on phone use after scary realisation

Jacqie Jones tells why she’s completely changed her approach to digital parenting for her six kids – after seeing what unrestricted phone use did to her older children.

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Year 9 students from Wilderness School spent three weeks phone-free during a recent school camp and reported feeling Ã¢â¬Åmore present and connectedÃ¢â¬Â. Year 9 students Sophia Holmes 14 and Jemma Waudby, 14. Picture: Brett Hartwig 17th November 2025

‘We gave up our phones for three weeks – and loved it’

Adelaide schoolgirls who survived three weeks without phones say the digital detox left them feeling more connected and ready for next month’s social media ban.

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MELBOURNE, NOVEMBER 12, 2025: Georgia (red hair), 17, and her sister Taylor (blonde hair), 20, have been without social media for two weeks in preparation for the upcoming social media ban. The experience was overall great and had positive impacts on their emotional and physical states. Picture: Mark Stewart

I was shocked by this when I quit social media for 14 days

Taylor Penny and her teenage sister Georgia grew up with social media and couldn’t imagine life without it. This is what happened when they gave it up for two weeks. SEE THEIR DAY-TO-DAY DIARY

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Why your deleted online posts can still haunt you

Technology & Digital Safety

Why your deleted online posts can still haunt you

Experts warn AI tools are increasingly scraping data, making it easier than ever for your digital past to haunt you. But there are ways you can protect yourself. SEE THE VIDEO

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Toy nostalgia: how families are embracing 'old-fashioned' games such as Monopoly, Cleudo and Uno ahead of social media ban. Mel Sandery with her daughters, Hazel, 9 and Eleanor, 11, have embraced the fun. Picture: Brett Hartwig 11th November 2025

Forget social media, it’s the return of traditional family fun

Parents are dusting off the Monopoly set and pack of Uno cards ahead of Australia’s looming social media ban for under-16s, but psychologists warn it’s not all fun and games.

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Technology & Digital Safety

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Horrific ‘undressing’ apps ruining lives of teachers and teens

Apps allowing teenagers to create AI-generated fake nudes of classmates and teachers are out of control in Aussie schools, as parents plead with politicians to take action.

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Swimming coach arrest raises alarm over safety in children’s sports

A swimming coach’s arrest has sent shockwaves through junior sport, as investigators reveal the hidden dangers in children’s sporting programs. Here’s what parents need to know.

Technology & Digital Safety

Group of zombie using smartphone

Screens really are turning kids into zombies – it’s a medical fact

Screen time rewires children’s brains so they talk less and end up with a decreased IQ, a major international medical study has found. And it’s toddlers who are at greatest risk.

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ExclusiveHigher Education

Art for dodgy training providers

Great training robbery: Dodgy ‘degrees’ not worth paper they’re printed on

Shonks and scammers are taking over the training industry, offering worthless ‘qualification certificates’ for cash – see the full list of banned providers.

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This photo taken on October 24, 2025 shows a 14-year-old boy posing at his home near Gosford as he looks at social media on his mobile phone. Tech giants Meta and TikTok said on October 28 they will obey Australia's under-16 social media ban but warned the landmark laws could prove difficult to enforce. Australia will from December 10 force social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove users under the age of 16. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP)

Teachers clocking up overtime tackling online student drama

Parents are being urged to manage their kids’ social media conflicts that occur outside school as teachers spend hours of their personal time dealing with the “wash-up”.

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Let Them Be Kids

Australian families are being hit with hundreds – sometimes thousands – of dollars in losses as online scammers prey on children through Roblox, luring them with fake offers of free in-game currency.

Aussie families lose thousands as ‘Free Robux’ scams target kids

Kids are being duped into giving away passwords and making expensive mistakes on Roblox — and parents are paying the price. Here’s how to spot the scam.

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ExplainerTechnology & Digital Safety

web art for Let Them Be Kids

Australia’s social media age ban: How it will work

From December 10, Australia will enforce one of the world’s toughest social media bans for teens under 16. Here’s everything you need to know and how they’ll be enforced.

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Technology & Digital Safety

Joanna Samargis and her daughter Sophia (14). Jo supports raising the age for social media verification at 16 yo. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Social media ban’s biggest question: How will age verification work?

Age verification is the key to shutting the door on under-16s using social media. So how will it work and what happens to the data?

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Let Them Be Kids

On the surface, it is glossy, child-friendly, and collaborative: the ultimate virtual universe.But behind Roblox’s social facade lies a sinister, all-consuming world of predators, harmful content and addictive game mechanics.

‘His world shrank’: Mum’s horror as son got addicted to Roblox

An Aussie mum watched her son change around Roblox — a game experts say has become a hunting ground for predators and — as thousands of Aussie kids become addicted.

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/education/support/technology-digital-safety