ALARM BELLS RING ON BULLYING
TIME is up for cyber bullying at one Gold Coast school, as alarmed students ditch their mobile phones for an analog solution.
Facing a school population of digital dependent students, St Hilda’s principal Dr Julie Wilson Reynolds has looked to the past for a way to tackle a problem of the present, online bullying, and head off future heartache.
The principal has offered to gift an alarm clock to all boarders and day students who agree to give up technology at night, minimising the risk of cyber bullying after hours, and sleep deprivation.
The girls said they used their phones as alarms in the morning, so the solution was obvious.
“We find from time to time text messages that are sent late at night are less than positive so we were talking to girls about how we might address this, and came up with this solution,” Dr Wilson Reynolds said.
“I told the students I would buy them an alarm clock. They just had to email me to tell me how they are ensuring they aren’t using technology at night.’’
The response to the plan has been enormous.
“I thought it was only going to be two or three, but I have given away 200 alarm clocks since February.”
There was one important stipulation with the gift – students had to agree to an ongoing commitment that the phones would be left alone at night.
To help with this, students were asked to recruit a support person such as a parent or boarding matron to assist.
“Because technology can be fun and it is hard to disconnect, now students say they have become more aware of their use,” Dr Wilson Reynolds said.
“It takes a village to raise a child, so parents are behind it. The girls know you need someone to assist you in being accountable at home.”
A survey by the school, conducted after the initiative began, found 83 per cent of students said they have thought twice about their technology dependence and had experienced better sleep.
More than half reported they were putting the phones away more during the day.
The unique solution to the modern problem is in stark contrast to the other Gold Coast schools, such as Pimpama State Secondary College who placed a blanket ban on phones in April.
Cyber bullying expert Jonny Shannon said the St Hilda’s initiative is a “great idea”. “I definitely think at night, conversations and online interactions have the potential to get negative very easily,” Mr Shannon said.
“Most teenagers, or people in general for that matter, find our emotions are heightened at night time, when we are tired, vulnerable, and bored.”
Mr Shannon also warned the alarm clock swap may not suit everyone. “When it comes to cyber-bullying one size doesn’t fit all, it depends on the community.”
PRINCIPAL Julie Wilson Reynolds and her school have come up with what promises to be an effective weapon in the war on cyber bullying – and it’s about time!
Alarm clocks are being used to replace mobile phones in the dormitories of boarders and the home bedrooms of day students at St Hilda’s, who told Dr Reynolds they needed the phones so they could set an alarm to wake each morning. But evidently everyone agreed that if the phones were not there, late-night bullying would cease and sleep patterns could return to normal, so 200 students – an incredible figure – have taken the principal up on her offer to supply clocks.
That indicates a huge proportion of students felt vulnerable. It is a novel but encouraging development in controlling a problem that in too many instances across Australia has led to teenage kids taking their own lives. What makes the strategy all the more effective is that the students have to commit to staying clear of the phones and technology at night, removing themselves from the sights of online trolls.
Importantly, the manoeuvre has become a whole-of-school and family initiative, with boarding staff and parents recruited to act in support. No one is alone, even in the darkest hours.