Online Safety 

International studies in 2023 showed that teens are spending approximately seven hours per day online! This is a huge chunk of their day and navigating online spaces can be tricky at times. 

As you will be aware Sancta Maria College has had rules in place prohibiting student phone use from 8.35am until 3.15pm, and indeed the new government has put in place national regulations that prohibit phone use during the school day. We are pleased to report that these rules have had a positive impact in our kura, our students are more engaged and we have seen a reduction in having to investigate poor online behaviours. 

Unfortunately, we are still seeing instances of some students making poor online decisions outside of school hours that have an impact on their relationships here at school. As a school we do not investigate behaviour that takes place during a student’s personal time. We ask that you as parents and caregivers take an active role in ensuring your child is safe online – Netsafe and the government funded ‘Keep it real online’ website have some great tips and advice to support whānau with this. 

7 Steps for Whanau – Online Safety
Teens Online Lives
Keep it real online – parent resources 

If your child is subject to behaviour online that is inappropriate, we recommend that parents report it to the relevant party. If your child’s wellbeing is suffering from the result of being the victim of online bullying and needs additional support, please help them refer to one of our highly skilled school counsellors who will be able to help support them.