Gaslighting, toxic relationships and bullying among topics SA students want more discussions on
SA students want to go beyond the textbooks and take on the tougher topics affecting them when it comes to dealing with relationships, bullying and domestic violence.
Teenagers are asking for classroom lessons on “how to get out of a toxic relationship” and want to learn about concepts such as “gaslighting” at a younger age.
Primary and high school students have told education authorities what they believe should be covered by a new curriculum designed to teach them about respectful relationships.
It comes amid rising reports of disrespect and harassment directed at female teachers and reports of children sharing explicit or fake images of their peers.
About 240 students at 12 primary and secondary schools across the state took part in group discussions with Education Department staff about topics including bullying, relationships and family violence.
Their feedback will help develop new guides for teachers delivering lessons on consent and respectful relationships.
One student who took part said they students in “younger year levels should be taught more about manipulation and gaslighting”, a term that describes a form of psychological manipulation intended to make the target question their memory, perception of events or even their sanity.
Another young person told educators: “Don’t warn the girls or teach (them) how to avoid (harm). Teach the boys how to be respectful”.
Others said they wanted more guidance on how to:
GET “out of a toxic relationship”.
ASK for consent in romantic relationships “properly”.
DEAL with “arguments and fights at home”.
Research shows two in every five Australian children have been exposed to domestic violence and 50 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds have received a sexual message online.
A quarter of Australian women will experience emotional abuse from a partner, or ex-partner, after turning 15.
And a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found one in three men admit to being violent or abusive toward their partner.
Given this, one student told the Education Department they wanted more lessons on “how to help yourself if you’re in an unhealthy and dangerous relationship, because there is a decently high chance some of us will end up in that situation”.
The two-day forum held at Adelaide Oval, centred around respectful relationships and bullying.
Jaida Dalwood, 17, from Reynella East College attended the forum and was keen to see more inclusion and opportunity for student voices to be heard.
“The year 12 find that they don’t have someone they can talk to as much, which is something that I definitely want to work on,” she said.
She said while discussions were essential, it’s the support and guidance that would lead students to make the right choices.
“When I was about 15, it was probably one of the hardest years for me when it came to friend groups and everything, and with the toxicity and gaslighting. I think there’s nothing you can really do to educate students on it, especially with social media influence and what I see on the internet, there’s nothing you really do to stop it,” she said.
“But we do have supporters at our school, we have counsellors, we have a psychologist who comes in. We’ve got those (type of) supports, you can go to them, they will help.”
Levi Gaetz, 15, from Willunga High School said he hoped to see more expansion on student wellbeing and programs to help personal growth.
“There should be something where students feel comfortable to reach out to teachers or maybe other adults like SSOs and other people who might be in wellbeing spaces and see if they might be able to talk to them about certain situations that they may be having in their personal lives which they can’t tell other people,” he said.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said the forum was incredibly important to hear from young people on the kinds of information and education they need.
More Coverage
Originally published as Gaslighting, toxic relationships and bullying among topics SA students want more discussions on
Bedford Group in administration, 1400 workers affected
One of SA’s largest employers of people with a disability has announced it will enter voluntary administration, impacting more than 1400 workers.
Footy club risks losing historic oval access after 60 years
A country footy club faces a fight to stay on its historic home ground, because the local council says it’s too unsafe and should primarily be used for horses.