• When drinking

    It's important to set clear rules and expectations around alcohol early on.

  • Around drugs

    As a parent/guardian, drug use is often one of the biggest concerns when it comes to allowing your teen to celebrate Schoolies.

  • With sex

    When it comes to sex, don't assume that your teen is across it all.

  • Out and about

    Information for when you're child is out at Schoolies.

  • With social media and privacy

    Leading up to Schoolies, make time to share some tips on how your teen can keep themselves safe whilst using social media.

  • Accommodation

    You may think that the safest place for your teen to hang out during Schoolies is in their accommodation but often, it can be the place where risk taking behaviour is at its highest.

  • During schoolies

    Your teen may have zero expectations of staying in contact with you whilst their away at Schoolies but we encourage parents / guardians to stay in touch with their teens during their time away.

If it didn’t happen on social media, it didn’t happen right?! With social media being such an important way for teen’s to socialise and feel connected in the modern world, it’s only natural that they may want to share their entire Schoolies experience online. Leading up to Schoolies, make time to share some tips on how your teen can keep themselves safe whilst using social media.

Top ten discussion points for staying safe with social media at Schoolies:

  1. Don’t let a photo or video ruin a future. What can start out as a bit of fun may end up being viewed by a wider audience than originally planned including family, media and even future employers.
  2. Set profiles to ‘private’ or ‘friends only’ and only accept friend requests from people you know and trust
  3. Set an agreement with friends that consent must be given by all parties before uploading and/or tagging a photos and videos
  4. Set privacy settings to allow you to review photo tags before they appear on your profile and your friends’ newsfeeds.
  5. Think before you share – would they be okay if a future employer saw the post
  6. Be a good friend and don’t share embarrassing photos of friends online. In an embarrassing situation, a real friend would help their friend, rather than photographing it
  7. Remember that you can be filmed or photographed at any time. Schoolies have been charged after their stupid behaviour was caught on camera, so be responsible and aware.
  8. Filming crimes or assaults to promote online could see your teen facing charges, heavy fines or a criminal conviction.
  9. Sending a sext to someone who does not wish to receive it is illegal. If a sext makes your teen feel uncomfortable, advise them to contact the local Police station (do not delete the images).
  10. Image-based abuse (revenge porn) is when intimate, nude or sexual images are distributed without the consent of those pictured. Image-based abuse is never okay and if your teen witnesses or is personally affected, it should be reported to either the Police or via the eSafety Commissioner

For more information, check out the ThinkUKnow or eSafety Commissioner websites for more information.